"Gentlemen's agreement" coming unraveled as Denmark claims waters past North Pole
SEAFOODNEWS.COM [Canadian Press] - December 16, 2014 -
An Arctic expert says an unspoken agreement between Arctic nations on how to divvy up northern seas is all but dead now that Denmark is presenting scientific data that it says gives it a claim on waters past the North Pole.
The claim, filed with the United Nations in New York on Monday, will force Canada into tough future negotiations on overlapping claims instead of being able to rely on deals worked out in advance, said University of B.C. law professor Michael Byers.
Interest in the Arctic is intensifying as global warming shrinks the polar ice and opens up possible resource development, potential new fisheries and new shipping lanes.
The area is believed to hold an estimated 13 per cent of the world's undiscovered oil and 30 per cent of its untapped gas.
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