A report published today (20 September) by Parliament’s Environmental Audit Committee (EAC) has called for a halt on oil drilling in the Arctic until certain safeguards are in place.

The committee, headed by Joan Walley MP and comprised a cross-party group of MPs, published the report after initiating a formal inquiry in January into the state of the Arctic and steps that the UK can take to protect it.

After hearing evidence from witnesses including Environmental Lawyer Alan Andrews, Met Office Chief Scientist Professor Julia Slingo OBE and Senior Policy Adviser for Greenpeace Ruth Davis, there were questions raised about whether companies drilling in the Arctic are adequately prepared to manage an oil spill.

Evidence by Ruth Davis of Greenpeace specifically called into question the ability of the oil and gas industry to cap and close a well in the short window of time allowed for Arctic drilling, as well as the industry's ability to stage a clean-up operation in the Arctic environment.

“[The Arctic’s] remote location, extreme climate and dynamic sea ice make containing and cleaning up an oil spill extremely difficult and in some cases arguably impossible”, Davis said.

The committee agreed that this evidence was compelling and in the report, recommended that all drilling in the Arctic is halted until:

• A pan-Arctic oil spill response standard is in place
• A stricter financial liability regime for oil and gas operations is introduced that requires companies to prove they can meet the costs of cleaning up
• An oil and gas industry group is set up to peer-review companies' spill response plans and operating practices, reporting publicly
• Further independent research and testing on oil spill response techniques in Arctic conditions is conducted, including an assessment of their environmental side-effects
• An internationally recognised environmental secretary is established in at least part of the Arctic

Devastating Consequences

"The oil companies should come clean and admit that dealing with an oil spill in the icy extremes of the Arctic would be exceptionally difficult. The infrastructure to mount a big clean-up operation is simply not in place and conventional oil spill response techniques have not been proven to work in such severe conditions”, said EAC Chair, Joan Walley.

“Drilling is only currently feasible in the Arctic during a short summer window when it is relatively ice-free. We heard compelling evidence that if a blow-out occurred just before the dark Arctic winter returned it may not be possible to cap it until the following summer - potentially leaving oil spewing out under the ice for six months or more with devastating consequences for wildlife."

The report also considered concerns about the weather impact that decreasing Arctic sea ice and other temperature changes are having on the UK and the rest of the world. Arctic temperature increases are already making a difference on temperatures in the UK and continental Europe, according to evidence in the report.

The committee also called upon governments at home and abroad to rethink their stance on fossil fuels as a way to combat climate change.

Caroline Lucas MP, a member of the committee, called on government to “urgently secure a moratorium on Arctic drilling”, saying: "This hard hitting, cross party report comes at a time when the race to carve up the Arctic is accelerating faster than our regulatory or technical capacity to manage it. The Arctic oil rush is bringing unprecedented risks to the area, and it's now clear that the consequences of any potential oil spill would be catastrophic.

"The UK government now has a responsibility to respond to this EAC report and show vital leadership on the issue by doing all it can to urgently secure a moratorium on Arctic drilling - starting with companies registered in this country."

Save the Arctic

Though drilling has been occurring in the Arctic since the 1920s, the practice has become more controversial in recent years, with organisations such as Greenpeace (which launched their 'Save the Arctic' campaign this June) opposing widespread drilling due to the negative impact it could have on the environment and wildlife.

Vicky Wyatt, head of Greenpeace's Arctic campaign, welcomed the report, saying: "Oil giants like Shell shouldn't be drilling in the fragile and pristine Arctic. By calling for a halt, these MPs have hit the nail on the head. An oil spill in this unique place would be catastrophic for the Arctic.

"Savvy investors will now surely be questioning the wisdom of backing Shell, especially after this year's pricey polar palaver. They've spent the best part of $5 billion but have nothing to show for it. The Arctic should be an internationally protected sanctuary, and as the report says the UK government must call on the UN to save the Arctic."

According to Greenpeace, oil company Gazprom 'look set to begin full commercial drilling operations by early next year', becoming the first company to start commercial oil production in the offshore Arctic.

ExxonMobil and Shell are also invested in Arctic drilling projects, with Shell being granted permission in August by the U.S. to drill in the Chukchi Sea off the coast of Alaska, and ExxonMobil partnering with Russian company Rosneft to explore the Arctic regions of Russia.

Read the Environmental Audit Committee’s full report on Protecting the Arctic.