Arctic Council Sign Oil Spill Agreement

At their recent meeting the circumpolar states of the Arctic Council have agreed to tackle oil spill disasters as a team.

The Agreement on Cooperation on Marine Oil Pollution Preparedness and Response in the Arctic—the Council’s second ever binding agreement—was signed by all eight Arctic ministers, reports the Barents Observer.

In the event of an oil spill anywhere in the ecologically sensitive Arctic region, this new agreement is the tool the circumpolar countries are hoping will help them work together to clean it up. It sets out guidelines for things like communicating between countries, coordinating personnel and figuring out who needs to do what.

Although the product of a Arctic Council task force, the agreement was negotiated by and agreed to by all eight countries.
It also means that the Arctic countries are required to notify each other should there be an oil spill—from any source—anywhere in the Arctic.

Source: Barents Observer