Topic:
Country: Jordan
Delegate Name: Ella Moses
Special Political Committee
Arctic Circle Resource Exploitation
The Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan
Ella Moses, Forest Hills Northern High School
Climate change and global warming have increased interest in the Arctic Circle. Resources that were once difficult to extract have become more accessible with less ice coverage and improved technology. Up to 30% of the world’s natural gasses and 13% of the world’s oils reside in the Arctic Region, and with shortages in nonrenewable resources, extraction is becoming ever more appealing. Jordan recognizes that the exploitation of Arctic resources would chiefly benefit the Arctic Five (A5): the United States, Russia, Canada, Norway, and Denmark. The acquisition of these resources would provide valuable means for economic development, but would also beg the question: at what cost? Conflict over the allocation of Arctic territory would create divisions within the Arctic Council, the Arctic and non-Arctic states, and the rest of the world. More prominently, further depletion of the Arctic will lead to the continuation of unsustainable practices and environmental degradation.
According to the Energy Information Administration (EIA), Jordan imports crude oil, petroleum products, and natural gas to accommodate for its lack of significant energy resources. The Arab Gas Pipeline (AGP) runs through Jordan from Egypt, giving Jordan access to natural gas. With Iraq’s hydrocarbon exploitation around the Dead Sea, Jordan hopes to find topographic discoveries which could lead to new, mineable energy sources. With this solution in mind, Jordan does not plan to take any action toward the extraction of Arctic resources.
Jordan’s primary purpose in this matter is to assist its ally, the United States of America, in its goals of security, climate change and environmental protection, and sustainable economic development. Following Secretary Antony Blinkin’s remarks on the United States’ strategy for the Arctic Region, there is “increasing strategic competition in the Arctic, exacerbated by Russia’s unprovoked war in Ukraine and the People’s Republic of China’s increased efforts to garner influence in the region…”. Jordan wishes to deter global conflict and avoid the tensions between Russia’s and China’s territorial onslaught.
Jordan is familiar with the difficulties of climate-related hazards. More specifically, increased temperatures, decreased precipitation, and more frequent droughts have continued to restrict Jordan’s economic growth. That being said, Jordan is still working to become a developed country using environmentally friendly solutions. The Ministry of Environment (MOE) is working to create the Jordan Climate Change and Development Report (CCDR) in order to provide an analytical resource with environmental considerations. Jordan has no direct access to the Arctic territory, and limited means to address the situation. Jordan calls upon other countries with the economic means to help prevent rapid environmental deterioration.
