The Arctic seabed, with its vast quantities of undiscovered resources, is the twenty-first century’s frontier.
As one of the five Arctic coastal states, Canada has a vested interest in the Arctic extended continental shelf. The U.S. Geological Survey estimates that there are approximately 90 billion barrels of oil, 1,669 trillion cubic feet of natural gas, and 44 billion barrels of natural gas liquids undiscovered in the areas north of the Arctic circle.
Arctic policy expert Elizabeth Riddell-Dixon examines the political, legal, and scientific aspects of Canada’s efforts to delineate its Arctic extended continental shelf. The quality and quantity of the data collected and analyzed by scientists and legal experts who prepared Canada’s Arctic Submission for the Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf in collaboration with Canada’s Arctic neighbours is a demonstration of Canadian foreign policy doing good work. As Arctic sovereignty continues to develop as an international legal regime observed by all five Arctic coastal states, it is crucial that Canada continue to advance its understanding of the complex issues around this expanding area of national interest.
