Is the North Pole in Denmark? Danish officials say so, and a Canadian says they're on solid ground
Today, the government of Denmark filed its claim to the North Pole with the UN Convention on the Laws of the Sea. And Ron MacNab, a former consultant to the commission and member of the Geological Survey of Canada, says the Danes actually have a good case....
Today, the government of Denmark filed its claim to the North Pole with the UN Convention on the Laws of the Sea. And Ron MacNab, a former consultant to the commission and member of the Geological Survey of Canada, says the Danes actually have a good case.
Mr. MacNab, who also sat on the Canadian Polar Commission, says that the Convention typically looks at science and data that show how close a particular feature is -- in this case the North Pole -- to the continental shelf of that country.
"Denmark ends up encompassing the North Pole," he tells As It Happens host Carol.
Last year, Canadian government scientists were set to deliver Canada's claim to the northern sea floor -- rich in hydrocarbons -- to the UN, and their research concluded the North Pole did not sit with Canada's jurisdiction. But at the last minute, according to information gathered by the Canadian Press in an Access to Information request, the Harper government pulled the claim, and asked the researchers to include the North Pole as well. Canada has yet to re-submit its claim, Mr. MacNab says.
It's important to stress that the North Pole is not significant in a geophysical sense, he adds, but he believes the Prime Minister doesn't want to "lose the North Pole on his watch."
If more than one country lays claim to the pole, then the UN commission will ask the countries involved themselves to sort it out. "Think of a parent dealing with two kids who can't get along, and at some point the parent gets frustrated and says, 'well, it's your problem - you fix it for yourselves'."
He adds that Canada, in extending its claim, may be stretching things, both literally and figuratively. "Lawyers use a term, 'passing the red face test', that you might make rather outlandish demands... knowing that they're not terribly substantial," he tells Carol. "I wonder if Canada is heading into that sort of territory."