Arctic Sovereignty (speech)

Good Afternoon Ladies and Gentlemen, On 3rd August, 2007, two Russian submarines dived deep below the sea at the North Pole on Thursday and planted Russia's national flag on the seabed to stake a symbolic claim. Soon after, the US and Canada quickly dismissed Russia's proclamation, saying it had no legal basis. Denmark and Norway protested their rights too. This incident has since caused increased tension among the Arctic nations. The question million dollar question here is why do these nations prize the desolate frigid and subzero arctic territory so much? Is it because they do not have enough land already? Or is it something else? Well I am sure we all know by now that they do not want the ice in the arctic but the energy riches hidden under its seabed. But is it really worth risking the destruction of the fragile arctic ecosystem for its hidden oil and natural gas? We’ve already had one disaster in our hands; the horrors of the infamous Exxon Valdez Oil Spill of 1989 in the Gulf of Alaska which spilled 10.8 million gallons of crude oil into the fragile Alaskan ecosystem directly causing the death of half a million birds, billions of the aquatic animals and also long lasting destruction of the environment should be still fresh in our memory. If the pristine Arctic seabed is drilled for oil and then pipelines are laid from there, can the countries that are now vying for these oil and gas reserves guarantee that such an incident won’t repeat itself. Already the Russians have taken great risks and endangered the region by sailing their nuclear submarines there. What would happen if an accident like that which struck Kursk in 2000 happen again and leak radioactive material into the sea? Ladies and Gentlemen, on behalf of my country, Bhutan, I propose that the arctic region be declared an eco-protected zone and preserved as a pristine inheritance that we can bequeath to our future generation as a gift to cherish. Seeing the merits of the motion, I hope the member nations will support our resolution. Thank you.