There Was No Need …

Considering that the Arctic is a region with unique ecosystems on the planet, with relevant species including fauna and flora adapted to an extreme climate and symbolic species such as the polar bear; considering that this ecosystem supports indigenous populations who have an extremely rich surviving culture; considering that the Arctic is the area of the globe where we have seen the greatest rise in temperature and where the consequences of ice melt associated with climate change will be the most dramatic in this century for the region and for the globe; considering that the world, within a framework of sustainable development, needs to disinvest in fossil fuels, the burning of which generates huge emissions of atmospheric pollutants, including greenhouse gases responsible for climate change, and focus instead on reducing energy consumption, on energy efficiency and on renewable energies; considering that the risk associated with the drilling for gas extraction requires nearby and effective equipment in case of a spill, safeguards which in the remote regions of the Arctic are impossible to ensure; considering that eventual spills on ice surfaces are an open question in terms of consequences and capacity of control; considering that the United States is already self-sufficient in supplying gas and oil; considering that oil drilling was interrupted in 2012 due to major flaws in oil exploitation in the Arctic by Shell; considering that the environmental impact assessment, including the definition of numerous prevention measures, never eliminates the existing risk but only reduces it; and considering that the principle of precaution should be a priority in order to safeguard the natural resources already in danger due to other circumstances … the recent decision of the Obama administration allowing the resumption of oil drilling in the Arctic by Shell, after a long six-year process of going back and forth, is an absolutely unnecessary risk.