Suddenly, a wider world below the waterline

Brian Murray

Coastal States have begun making bids for parts of the continental shelf. The terms for making bids for the continental shelf are referenced from 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. Some of the regulations from this treaty state that to claim any extension of their continental shelf beyond 200 nautical miles, as long as the extension is no more than 100 miles from the point at which the sea reached a depth of 2.5km, and no more than 350 miles from land. A state can gain from this because of the mineral extraction, metal deposits, and energy reserves. The extraction of minerals causes concern for me because they are harvesting living creatures like sea cucumbers. What this will do to the natural habitat of these organisms, or the food chain of this ecosystem is questionable. The energy reserves at focus are methane hydrates which can contain more energy than all known deposits of fossil fuels. The first country to make a claim was Russia, who placed a titanium flag in the seabed 4km below the north pole 6 years after their bid was made. Many other countries have followed Russia's trend, making bids and negotiating with neighboring countries about dividing the ocean.

http://www.economist.com/world/international/displaystory.cfm?story_id=13649265