The State of Arctic Warming and Melting Ice in 2016 (Videos)

The trend of warmer Arctic temperatures and melting Arctic ice appears to be worsening. Less ice means more global warming. Last year was the warmest year on record replacing 2015. We saw a number of extreme weather events in 2016 and ongoing evidence of the global warming trend, particularly in the Arctic.

A WMO report presented at COP22 at the end of 2016 indicates that in recent years parts of Arctic Russia, temperatures were 6°C to 7°C above the long-term average. Many other Arctic and sub-Arctic regions in Russia, Alaska and northwest Canada were at least 3°C above average. The global average temperature increase is around 1.5°C above average.

The report also revealed a cascade of related phenomena including sea level rise associated with rapidly melting polar ice. Over the past five years, Arctic sea ice is 28 percent below the average of the previous 29 years. The impact from this melting trend is not only rising sea levels it is also decreasing global cooling from the ice associated with the albedo effect (light or radiation that is reflected by a surface). Simply put, less ice means more warming.

Shell Downplays Crude Oil Spill in the Gulf of Mexico (Video)

On May the 12th Shell claims that its offshore Brutus platform spewed 88,200 gallons of crude (2,100 barrels) into the Gulf of Mexico. The spill in Shell's Glider field created a 13 mile long by 2 mile wide oil slick in an area 97 miles south of Port Fourchon, Louisiana. Shell offered the standard commentaries as dictated by their post-spill public relations protocols. The incident has been contained the said and "cleanup operations are underway." Shell spokesperson Kimberly Windon added, "no release is acceptable, and safety remains our priority as we respond to this incident."

Rising CO2 Emissions and Ongoing Heat Records Especially in the Arctic

We may have signed a global climate agreement at COP21 in Paris but global levels of atmospheric emissions keep climbing along with temperature records.

The NOAA reports that we have passed 405 ppm of CO2 in the atmosphere this year. According to NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies, the global average temperature was 1.13 degrees C, or slightly more than 2 degrees F, warmer in January 2016 than the long-term average (1951-1980) for this month. This beats the previous record for the warmest recorded January that was set in 2007.

The Arctic is still not Safe from Drilling

Although the Obama administration has effectively shut down Arctic drilling the region is far from being protected from the dangers of  fossil fuel extraction. The President has imposed stringent lease conditions on Arctic oil extraction but other Northern nations do not have such restrictive national laws. Countries  including Russia and Norway continue to set their sights on Arctic oil.

Arctic drilling is a source of concern for many reasons including the risks of a spill.  According to Greenpeace there is a 75 percent chance of a serious spill. This would prove catastrophic in this fragile and remote ecosystem.

Greenpeace Stalls Arctic Drilling by Blocking Shell's Ice Breaker (Video)

Late in July an icebreaker that is crucial to Shell's drilling operation in the Arctic sea was turned back by Greenpeace activists in Portland, Oregon. Activists spent almost 2 days suspended from St. Johns Bridge, while others took to kayaks in Willamette River below. However they managed to block Shell's icebreaker, the MSV Fennica from leaving the city on July 30th. The emergency equipment on-board the Fennica is essential for Shell's drilling activities in the Arctic.

Obama Administration Cuts Shell's Arctic Drilling in Half

Shell may be drilling the Chukchi Sea off the coast of Alaska this summer but they will only be able to do half of the drilling they had planned. On Tuesday June 30, the Obama administration announced that it has limited shell's drilling plans in the Arctic citing wildlife protections. The federal government has effectively prevented them from simultaneously boring two wells.

The US Fish and Wildlife Service indicated that they want to reduce the noise from the drilling and they are using a 2013 regulation that prohibits drilling less than 15 miles between wells. Shell's plan was to bore two holes 9 miles apart.

Neatherlands Seeks Release of the Arctic 30 Through ITLOS

On Wednesday, November 6, the Netherlands brought a case before the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea (ITLOS) seeking the release of the Greenpeace ship Arctic Sunrise and its Crew. In her petition for the release of the Arctic 30, Dutch representative Liesbeth Lijnzaadsaid said Russia had "violated the human rights" of the activists after detaining them for seven weeks "without grounds."

The Arctic 30 have been detained in Russia since September 18, when the ship was boarded in international waters and the entire crew seized after a peaceful protest against Arctic oil drilling.

Russia did not attend the tribunal and said it does not recognize the case. Russia claims the activists posed a security threat. After initially charging the 30 with piracy, the charge was reduced to hooliganism which carries a jail sentence of up to 7 years.

30 Days of Climate Action on Tumblr

We are at the tipping point of catastrophic climate change, it's time for everyone to act. People are inspired by the Arctic 30 and are taking action in their own lives to stand up for the planet.

Find out how you can participate in "Ideas for Action." Share what you did and what inspired you under "Post your climate action."

Breaking News: Russia Drops Piracy Charges Against Greenpeace Activists

Russian federal investigators have dropped piracy charges against the people involved in the Greenpeace protest over Arctic oil drilling. However, the 30 people will face the lesser charge of hooliganism. Under Russian law the piracy charge comes with a 12 year prison sentence while hooliganism has a seven year maximum sentence.

The charges arise from a peaceful protest against a Gazprom oil platform in the Pechora Sea on September 19. 

Russian Greenpeace spokesman Vladimir Chuprov said in a statement, "we will contest the trumped-up charge of hooliganism as strongly as we contested the piracy allegations....They are both fantasy charges that bear no relation to reality."

Greenpeace Crew Arrested in the Arctic by Russian Agents

Balaclava clad, machine gun toting, Russian FSB agents, rappelled down ropes from helicopters to detain 30 peaceful Greenpeace activists after their ship, the icebreaker Arctic Sunrise was boarded on September 19. In addition to arresting the ship's crew, the agents did substantial damage to communications equipment. The ship has been impounded and crew members have been incarcerated and are being denied access to legal or consular assistance.

Video - Greenpeace Confronting Russia's Arctic Oil Exploration

Greenpeace ship seeking to expose Arctic drilling is confronted by Russian military while in international waters. Who wins in the struggle to protect the Arctic: state-backed Russian oil giants? Or common sense?

Ecuador to Drill for Oil in the Amazon Rainforest

Ecuador has abandoned a UN backed conservation plan that would have paid the country not to drill for oil in the 10,000 sq km (3,860 sq miles) Yasuni National Park located in the Amazon rainforest. According to President Rafael Correa, the plans to drill in the area are the result of rich nations failing to live up to their commitments.

"The world failed us," explained Correa, "It was not charity that we sought from the international community, but co-responsibility in the face of climate change."

Video of the Oil Rig Belonging to Shell that Ran aground in Alaska

An offshore oil drilling rig belonging to Shell has run aground and is damaged. The event occurred on December 31st after the rig broke free from tow ships in rough seas. The rig called the Kulluk is carrying more than 140,000 gallons of diesel fuel and 12,000 gallons of lubricating oil and hydraulic fluid. In this video you can see an aerial view of the grounded rig and a brief from a Shell Incident Commander.

Shell Oil Rig Runs Aground in Alaska Raising Safety Concerns

As 2012 drew to a close we were given yet another reason to be weary of fossil fuels. On December 31st an offshore oil drilling rig belonging to Shell ran aground in the Gulf of Alaska after it broke free from tow ships in rough seas (see video). The rig called the Kulluk is carrying more than 140,000 gallons of diesel fuel and 12,000 gallons of lubricating oil and hydraulic fluid.

The US Coast Guard managed to rescue the 17 crew members on board the Kulluk. Alaska's wildlife, including a quarter million birds are being threatened by the rogue oil rig.

Russia Lining Up Investors for Arctic Drilling

In April Russian President Vladimir Putin made public his plans to attract foreign investment to Russia’s Arctic. As reported in Oil Change International, Putin has set his sights on exploiting Russia's Arctic oil fields while their is still a demand for oil.