Feature Interview: Why Canadians should be concerned about drilling in the Arctic

Does more need to be done to ensure environmental protection in the Arctic? (CBC)Earlier this week, Greenpeace leaked a draft copy of the Arctic Council’s oil spill response agreement to the media.

The agreement, titled “Arctic Marine Oil Pollution Preparedness and Response” outlined measures for dealing with an oil spill. It includes joint exercises, rules for transporting clean-up equipment between countries and setting up 24-hour emergency contacts between the eight Arctic states.

However, Greenpeace called the agreement “effectively useless” saying it was vague and lacked enforcement mechanisms.

Though no drilling is currently going on in the Canadian Arctic, some environmental groups say Canadians should still be concerned.

In today’s feature interview, Eye on the Arctic’s Eilís Quinn speaks with Christy Ferguson, Arctic project leader for Greenpeace Canada, about why Greenpeace leaked the draft agreement and why Canadians should be concerned about environmental protection in the Arctic.

To listen, click here: {play}/media/jukebox/CF_2.

Related Links:

Greenpeace leaks draft Arctic Council oil spill treaty, Mia Bennett, Foreign Policy Blogs

Write to Eilís Quinn at eilis.quinn(at)cbc.ca

Eilís Quinn, Eye on the Arctic

Eilís Quinn is an award-winning journalist and manages Radio Canada International’s Eye on the Arctic news cooperation project. Eilís has reported from the Arctic regions of all eight circumpolar countries and has produced numerous documentary and multimedia series about climate change and the issues facing Indigenous peoples in the North.

Her investigative report "Death in the Arctic: A community grieves, a father fights for change," about the murder of Robert Adams, a 19-year-old Inuk man from Arctic Quebec, received the silver medal for “Best Investigative Article or Series” at the 2019 Canadian Online Publishing Awards. The project also received an honourable mention for excellence in reporting on trauma at the 2019 Dart Awards in New York City.

Her report “The Arctic Railway: Building a future or destroying a culture?” on the impact a multi-billion euro infrastructure project would have on Indigenous communities in Arctic Europe was a finalist at the 2019 Canadian Association of Journalists award in the online investigative category.

Her multimedia project on the health challenges in the Canadian Arctic, "Bridging the Divide," was a finalist at the 2012 Webby Awards.

Her work on climate change in the Arctic has also been featured on the TV science program Découverte, as well as Le Téléjournal, the French-Language CBC’s flagship news cast.

Eilís has worked for media organizations in Canada and the United States and as a TV host for the Discovery/BBC Worldwide series "Best in China."

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