While territorial claims are and will likely be heated, what struck me is that the area is right near the Drake Passage, in the Weddell Sea (which is fundamental to the world’s ocean currents AFAIU).
I don’t know how oil drilling in the antarctic could affect the passage, but still, I’m not sure I would trust human oil hunger with a 10ft pole on that one.
Also interestingly, the discovery was made by Russia, which is a somewhat ominous clue about where the current “multi-polar” world and climate change are heading. Antarctica, being an actual continent that thrived with life up until only about 10-30 M yrs ago, is almost certainly full of resources.
US about to declare war on the Arctic and bring some freedom to…uh…the penguins?
Gonna find a penguin wedding and drone strike it. Just for shits and giggles. (All penguins within 500ft of the impact are designated “Enemy Combatants” by default. (This totally isn’t a war crime))
I was about to correct you, but then thought, no, I wouldn’t put it past the US to invade the Arctic when oil is discovered in the Antarctic.
[Trump pulls out a sharpie and starts circling the wrong part of the map]
“I AM PLACING TARIFFS ON PENGUINS UNTIL THEY GIVE US THEIR OIL AND SHOW ME HOW TO DO ALL THE DANCE MOVES FROM HAPPY FEET!”
Followed by 65 year old Moms whose children haven’t spoken to in a decade making Facebook memes with a Minion with Trump’s toupee and 8 clones of the same exact frame of Pingu atop an Iceberg, next to a crop of the American Flag from Apollo 11, with an oil rig in the background.
Upper Text: Happy Feet Tariffs: The Final Frontier!
Bottom Text: Trump and Penguins Agree - LOVE America!
That would be a war against the world and they would break their own agreement.
God is effing with us now.
I’m pinning my hopes on crude oil prices being much lower after the 10-20 years it would take to sort out the territorial disputes and complete construction of rigs that could pump oil in large volume. Oil will still be very valuable in 10-20 years, but i would guess it’ll be much less valuable then, and hopefully the price will be low enough to make it not worth the massive outlay cost
I’ll see you all in anchorage in 2076
guys i don’t know about you but i have a feeling Antarctica needs some democracy right the fuck now.
Fucking Communist penguins leaving their children to fend for themselves! Do they have polar kangaroos up there in American soil? Let’s defend it! The polar kangaroos are near extinction.