Today brought yet another of the myriad of articles reporting record melting of sea ice in the Arctic: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2007/09/21/MNMISACP7.DTL

The sea ice has melted to record lows below.  Our colleague Kassie Siegel over at Center for Biological Diversity says that it’s melted more this year than was originally projected for 2050.  This news comes just after scientists said that polar bears will largely be extinct by 2050: http://www.pacificenvironment.org/article.php?id=2571

The Arctic, the air conditioner for the earth, is melting.  So far, what’s the response?  Let’s explore for more oil and gas in the Arctic.  Russia is laying claim to a large portion of the Arctic: http://uk.reuters.com/article/scienceNews/idUKL2082113920070920, primarily for oil and gas development.  Or check out this map, which shows proposed and existing oil and gas leases in the Arctic, Bering Sea, and the Sea of Okhotsk, along with Russia’s territorial claims.

Looks like we’re zoning the Arctic for oil and gas.  Ironic, isn’t it?  There are winners and losers in climate change, and the large oil companies will try to be winners.  I think a smarter way to go would be to push for an Arctic treaty to help protect the Arctic as we deal with climate change.