U.S. Secretary of State says melting Arctic sea ice presents “new opportunities for trade” – Cancels trip to Greenland to observe melting glaciers – Denies climate change at Arctic Council meeting
By Conor Finnegan
9 May 2019
(ABC News) – Two days after Secretary of State Mike Pompeo cut a stop from his trip to Germany, his office announced that he was canceling another visit — this time to Greenland, where Pompeo was to see melting glaciers at the forefront of climate change.
Pompeo had to “postpone” his visit because of “a need for the Secretary to be in Washington, D.C. today,” according to State Department spokesperson Morgan Ortagus. A senior State Department official said Pompeo decided to return early to Washington for Iran-related meetings, and after Kim Jong Un’s regime test fired missiles Thursday, North Korea will also be discussed, the official said. […]
The long-planned Greenland visit was supposed to be part of a renewed push by Pompeo to assert American leadership in the Arctic and warn of Chinese influence. But that effort was overshadowed by Pompeo’s comments on climate change while in Finland Monday — seeming to welcome the melting Arctic ice as a good economic opportunity. […]
In Greenland, Pompeo would have witnessed firsthand how the rapid melt of glaciers has had devastating consequences and how the U.S. government, despite President Donald Trump’s dismissal of climate change, has deployed U.S. military personnel to assist in studying it. […]
Pompeo was scheduled to meet a unit from the New York Air National Guard that deployed to Greenland last month to support scientists doing climate research. The mission uses ski-equipped aircraft to transport fuel, cargo, and passengers to various research camps throughout Greenland, according to the U.S. Air Force, as National Science Foundation researchers study Greenland’s ice cap and its thaw.
Pompeo had no scheduled meeting with the Nation Science Foundation scientists themselves. [more]
Pompeo cancels trip to Greenland for meetings on Iran, North Korea
By Sam Kingsley And Pierre-Henry Deshayes
7 May 2019
(PhysOrg) – For the first time in over two decades, member states of the Arctic Council failed to agree on a final declaration at their bi-annual ministerial meeting on Tuesday, due to a US refusal to mention climate change.
At the start of the 11th gathering of Arctic foreign ministers, in the Lapland town of Rovaniemi, Finnish Foreign Minister Timo Soini announced a change to the planned agenda, saying the final joint declaration would be replaced by ministerial statements.
Several sources said it was because member states were unable to reach an agreement, with the United States alone refusing to mention climate change in the final text.
“I don’t name and blame anybody,” Soini, who chaired the meeting, told reporters.
“But of course it is clear that climate issues are different from the different viewpoints and the different capitals,” he said. [more]
US climate sceptics send shivers through Arctic cooperation
Pompeo: Melting sea ice presents “new opportunities for trade”
By Jennifer Hansler
7 May 2019
(CNN) – Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Monday praised the Arctic region — and its rapidly shrinking levels of sea ice — for its economic opportunities, despite continued warnings about the catastrophic effects of climate change.
“The Arctic is at the forefront of opportunity and abundance,” Pompeo said in remarks in Rovaniemi, Finland. “It houses 13 percent of the world’s undiscovered oil, 30 percent of its undiscovered gas, an abundance of uranium, rare earth minerals, gold, diamonds, and millions of square miles of untapped resources, fisheries galore.”
Steady reductions in sea ice are opening new passageways and new opportunities for trade. This could potentially slash the time it takes to travel between Asia and the West by as much as 20 days.
U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, 6 May 2019
“Steady reductions in sea ice are opening new passageways and new opportunities for trade,” he continued. “This could potentially slash the time it takes to travel between Asia and the West by as much as 20 days.”
“Arctic sea lanes could become the 21st century Suez and Panama Canals,” Pompeo remarked.
According to the US Global Change Research Program, the loss of sea ice leads to warmer global water temperatures, which in return lead to greater sea ice melting. They also note that “the loss of ice increases the risk of erosion along coastlines and changes the presence of marine species in certain areas, affecting commercial fish stocks and the economies of some coastal towns.”
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration reported in March 2019 that “since satellite-based measurements began in the late 1970s, Arctic sea ice extent has decreased in all months and virtually all regions, with the exception of the Bering Sea during winter.” […]
In his speech, Pompeo said that President Donald Trump was “committed to leveraging resources in environmentally responsible ways.” He touted the US’ reduced energy-related CO2 and black carbon emissions.
“The United States is achieving our reductions the American way: through scientific work, through technology, through building out safe and secure energy infrastructure, and through our economic growth, and doing it in a way that doesn’t stifle development with burdensome regulations that only create more risk to the environment,” Pompeo said.
“America is the world’s leader in caring for the environment,” he said.
Pompeo did not use the phrase “climate change” in his remarks. Asked about the omission in an interview with a Finnish newspaper, Pompeo said, “My view on this and President Trump’s view on this is what we should put all our emphasis on is outcomes.” [more]
Pompeo: Melting sea ice presents ‘new opportunities for trade’
