Obama Administration Got Little Time To Protect The Arctic Refuge From Oil Development

President Obama along with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau took a welcome initiative toward protecting the marine ecosystems of the Arctic and Antarctic. A joint decision was made to cease oil explorations and gas leasing activities in the region.

Many environmentalists came forward and applauded the decision and said that though the decision will be instrumental in protecting the ocean, it does nothing for the offshore Arctic and Antarctic mining and drilling activities.

Many environmentalists believe that there is a ray of hope that the policy makers of Obama administration will do as much as they can, in this short period of time, and banish fossil fuel explorations forever in the beautiful natural wilderness of the Arctic refuge, Yes Magazine reported.

Environmentalists are urging that the administration should maintain this momentum till President Obama leaves the Oval Office. According to experts, providing permanent protection to the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge will help in protecting the indigenous tribes, migratory birds and animals like polar and grizzly bears and the Porcupine caribou from going extinct.

The Arctic refuge encompasses 19 million acres of serene landscape in the North Slope of Alaska, enriched with natural wilderness. The Arctic refuge is home for the Gwich'in Tribe and the northernmost region of the refuge, also known as Area 1002, is known to be the place where the rare Porcupine caribou come to give birth to their babies.

The region is acclaimed as "the last great wilderness" that still exists. Environmentalists all over the world believe that it should be left untouched and away from human interventions and industrialization, according to The Seattle Times.

Unfortunately, the Arctic refugee has been a subject of international conflict, because of the tentative petroleum exploration programs. These programs were vehemently opposed by the indigenous community, as a result of which it still remains untouched by the oil exploring companies.

Now the change in administration and the remarks made by President-elect Donald Trump have created a concern among the inhabitants. In these conditions, there is a lot of pressure on the Obama administration to do the needful in a very short span of time.