The London (UK) based The Independent has today come out with a story on the state of the ice cap over the Northwest Passage. The news is that this Summer, the Passage has been completely ice-free for the first time, as far as human memory can recall.
Attention to this development was drawn by the drama of a family of polar bears that has been drifting in the Arctic ocean for about a week now, as ice literally melted beneath their paws. This whole scenario can only be seen as a reason for alarm South of 60, as it threatens to permanently alter the status quo that had kept our Country's dispute with the world...frozen.
While very little to no mention of this was made in our media, as Canadians we should be very much aware of what happens in our North, also as a way to hold our Government accountable.
The Harper Government has spent the months since its 2006 Speech from the Throne preaching the need for bolstering Canada's military presence in the North, by appealing to the sovereignty/security nexus, and in the process irreparably confusing and mixing up its two terms. And to their credit, they have more or less followed through on many of their commitments and objectives.
However, while heating up the climate around the True North, the Harper government was also contradicting itself by refusing to take any action on the single measure that could have somewhat prevented the precipitation of the Northwest Passage (and Arctic) issue to actual emergency- as its navigability demonstrates. As a matter of fact if the Northwest Passage is now open to navigation, it is for the effect of global warming. An issue that as is well known, the
Government has always refused to take any action, both domestically, and internationally, as the Canada's stance at the Bali Conference last Fall proved.
The crux of the matter being, that if there is any Northwest Passage issue today, it is because of the unmitigated effect of carbon emitting activities, and their effect on climate.
What is ironic in its handling of the issue, is that the Canadian government, with one hand, has been giving to the Arctic 'cause' by boosting a (almost exclusively) military presence, and with the other, it has been taking (from itself), by supporting the single element that could have an impact on the status quo: pollution.
Needless to say, an intact ice cap over the Passage this Summer would still have left the issue of sovereignty unaddressed, but at least it would have preserved what, all considered, was a fairly comfortable status quo. Now that the ice turned into water, let us hope that Canada's Arctic policy does not fall apart.
Attention to this development was drawn by the drama of a family of polar bears that has been drifting in the Arctic ocean for about a week now, as ice literally melted beneath their paws. This whole scenario can only be seen as a reason for alarm South of 60, as it threatens to permanently alter the status quo that had kept our Country's dispute with the world...frozen.While very little to no mention of this was made in our media, as Canadians we should be very much aware of what happens in our North, also as a way to hold our Government accountable.
The Harper Government has spent the months since its 2006 Speech from the Throne preaching the need for bolstering Canada's military presence in the North, by appealing to the sovereignty/security nexus, and in the process irreparably confusing and mixing up its two terms. And to their credit, they have more or less followed through on many of their commitments and objectives.
However, while heating up the climate around the True North, the Harper government was also contradicting itself by refusing to take any action on the single measure that could have somewhat prevented the precipitation of the Northwest Passage (and Arctic) issue to actual emergency- as its navigability demonstrates. As a matter of fact if the Northwest Passage is now open to navigation, it is for the effect of global warming. An issue that as is well known, the
Government has always refused to take any action, both domestically, and internationally, as the Canada's stance at the Bali Conference last Fall proved.The crux of the matter being, that if there is any Northwest Passage issue today, it is because of the unmitigated effect of carbon emitting activities, and their effect on climate.
What is ironic in its handling of the issue, is that the Canadian government, with one hand, has been giving to the Arctic 'cause' by boosting a (almost exclusively) military presence, and with the other, it has been taking (from itself), by supporting the single element that could have an impact on the status quo: pollution.
Needless to say, an intact ice cap over the Passage this Summer would still have left the issue of sovereignty unaddressed, but at least it would have preserved what, all considered, was a fairly comfortable status quo. Now that the ice turned into water, let us hope that Canada's Arctic policy does not fall apart.
