The Obama administration approved Shell’s plan to explore the US Arctic for oil drilling purposes. About 20 percent of the world’s undiscovered oil is said to be held in the Arctic.

Shell’s proposal is specifically to navigate the Chukchi Sea off of Alaska and is looking to utilize six wells in 140 feet-deep waters.

The environmental concern here goes beyond consideration of stripping the planet’s natural resources (AKA the need to migrate towards renewable energy sources). The difficulty of the Arctic and part of the reason why companies haven’t exploited the territory yet, is because the weather and water conditions off the coast of Alaska are extremely rough. This means that navigating the heap-of-metal oil rig can be very tricky and potentially dangerous.

Back in 2012, Shell’s Arctic oil rig drifted onto the Alaskan coast during a heavy storm. While nothing consequential came from the incident, it was a reminder of how susceptible the region can be to oil spills.

An oil spill in the Arctic would be catastrophic because of how remote the region is and how difficult it would be to respond. The World Wildlife Fund says that the harsh, icy conditions and distance from the necessary resources would mean it could take days or weeks to respond to a spill. And even then there is no method that has proven to effectively clean up oil in icy water.  

The effects on the environment would be disastrous. Not only are important species put at risk, it could take decades for the disrupted habitats to recover.

Shell’s proposal was approved but they still must obtain the proper permits from the federal government as well as the state of Alaska. Furthermore, the city of Seattle ruled that it’s sea port must apply for permits if Shell is to use it as a hub for drilling equipment on its way to the Arctic.

So there are still a number of steps that must be taken before Shell begins its exploration, but the environmental concerns must be taken seriously.