Battle for the Arctic, Movie Review Example

Introduction

The environment is one of the most contentious issues of our time. There is everything from denial to complacency to even exploitation for profit. In a documentary by Julian Sher & Lynn Raineault, the show explores the various issues that affect not only the environment but also the important geographical issues taking place as the ice melts. The Arctic is in a state of flux not seen in several decades. The receding ice cap in the Arctic is causing various new opportunities and challenges. The receding ice cap is giving way to a new geography and is shaping the future geopolitical landscape in a “Battle for the arctic.” (‘Battle for the Arctic’, CBC Doc Zone)

The main themes in the documentary are typical not only to Canada, but will ultimately affect the entire course of the planet. The themes are global warming, Geography and its expanding definition in the sense of the definition of territory as well as Aboriginal rights on the land and the impact it has on them as a people and a culture. It also includes international trade, politics, international relations, and militarism. The documentary puts forth the dangers of a melting ice cap and what this means at a micro level to the Aboriginal people as a representative of humanity as a whole and at a macro level if any of the themes go the way they are going to go, which is the exploration and exploitation of the Arctic. The commercial purpose will be at the expense of the whole to the benefit of the part, though this is not explicitly said, it is inferred.

This is accomplished with the use of interviews of different people in the debate and with trying to bring together all the issues. Each of the micro issues is dealt with first, followed by contextualization of the issue with supporting evidence from an expert who is actually involved with the issue. If it is to do with the military, you will hear from the individual representing the military speaking on the side of the party they represent. For instance, when we hear from a Canadian Commander Major Bergeron we hear the Canadian perspective, when we hear from the Americans the same rings true. However, there is an element of bias toward the Canadian perspective.

The documentary is very well done in the way it presents the topic. It will be very useful to a Geography student. It will make them understand that Geography is not only one particular discipline, but it also involves many other fields. The documentary is a perfect demonstration of how scientific research in Geography can not only affect the lives of people but also government policy. It can affect international law and its application. The themes in the documentary that are relevant are the changing nature of the North Pole due to Global warming and the changing nature and fluidity of the geographic boundaries of Canada. It also shows how Geography and sovereignty are interlinked and are not mutually exclusive when it comes to the Arctic. It will also help the Geography student understand that some of the international legal definitions of countries are not so clear cut and dry.

Geographic Concepts Related to the Importance of the Study of Canadian Geography

The melting of the ice cap and the N.W. passage

Canadians have continually tended to regard the islands near the main land as an integral, even if inaccessible, part of their country. The immense and ice-covered Arctic archipelago even gets its own position in the Nation’s national anthem: “The true North, strong and free.” However with the melting of the ice cap and the opening of the N.W passage, this is being challenged by several countries. The least reason being is that it provides a route connecting the Pacific to the Atlantic. This is one of the reasons why it is related to Canadian Geography. As the ice melts, it is redefining Canadian Geography and maps have to be changed, because the big question is who owns what that has not previously been owned.

It has become such a contentious issue that the United Nations has sought a way to resolve it in an amicable way. The UN Convention on the Law of the Sea was ratified by Canada in 2003. However, some of the most important players are not even signatories. The U.S is the main country which is in complacency with the Europeans and most notability the Russians.

The issue is rather complicated due to a very simple and recent occurrence. Usually the N.W passage is frozen and is not passable but due to global warming it is now a passage way for ships. The problem is that the passage way is between Islands north of Canada which would not be a big problem, except that the space between them can be up to 100 miles long. This leaves plenty of room for ships to pass through and not a cause for security for Canada. What is worrying for Canada is their lack of the effective resources to patrol these waters. Although they are starting to scramble the resources in order to monitor the waters. For now the waters are being administered and monitored on a more or less voluntary basis. For the Geography student, the problem lies in who has jurisdiction over the waters between Somerset Island and Devon Island, or Banks Island and Melville Island.

The jurisdiction of the waters according to the Canadian government is clear — they are Canadian waters. Their opponents see the Northwest Passage as an international strait that anyone can pass. The resources of the sea bed are looking like fair game with globalization increasing demand for a resources limited world .Who is right? This is a question that is still left unanswered by the documentary and which is of paramount importance to the Canadian Geography student. It means no child can say where Canada ends.

Professor Donald McRae, Canada must prove N.W passage is their territorial water and not an international strait. However, the experts of law have repeatedly stated that Canada’s position is weak. Let us not forget that the Falkland Island is very close to Argentina, yet we know from history that they went to war over the territory with the British. When we look at a geographical map, the Island is not very close to Britain yet international opinion as well as the law were on the side of the British. An International Court of Justice ruling in 1951 recognized that the 12-mile limit could be extended. Canada has until 2013 to prove its claim among 10 other countries. Canada just has to prove that the ridges and rock formations beneath the seawater are attached to its mainland or continental shelf.

The question of Aboriginal Rights

The other big issue is Aboriginal rights. What the Geography student has been focused on so extensively is the rights of this vulnerable group. The Inuit people of Canada like every other people who encountered the Europeans around the world have faced unique challenges. They live off the land and it is their means of livelihood. This said the Inuit peoples have long standing treaties with the Canadian government that were inherited from the British. They are clear that the lands they live on will be protected so that they can continue living off the land as they always have. The danger is that the melting of the ice is not just about a passage way for commercial ships. It is about what is underneath the ice. The largest reserves of the blood of world commerce lay under the ice of the north. However, is Canada an honest broker and custodian and protector of the Aboriginal peoples? The answer is unfortunately NO.

When one looks at the documentary one sees that people like Shila Watt-Courtier have been trying to protect their people against the excesses of government and that of mega corporations. In a short documentary called “To the last drop,” we see the issues of the Inuits very clearly. The tar pits of Alberta have the largest reserves of oil outside the Middle East, believed to be eight times the size of the Middle East. They are upstream from the Inuit tribes. Downstream is some of the most fragile and beautiful wet lands in the world that have a very delicate balance. Since 9/11 America has been looking for alternative sources for energy. Its insatiable appetite is now going to be fulfilled by Canada. Canada has replaced the Middle East as the largest supplier of crude to the USA. There is even talk of a pipe line. The result however is that all those who are living downstream from the mines are that there has been a dramatic increase in the number of cancer cases. There is also an increase of deformed fish. (‘The Last Drop’, Al-Jazeera.com)

The Aboriginal people are suffering for the sake of commercial profit. The hypocrisy lies with the government in that the minister is in charge of monitoring the pollutants going into the water. However the big disease of politics and politicians is seen. The Minister’s office monitors the water and the environment which is sponsored by the big multinational companies. It is not surprising that the results are always the same. That the water is safe and there are no problems. What the documentaries bring out when juxtaposed is that when commercial interests and politics mix then the Aboriginal peoples’ fate is the same as was one hundred years ago. Unlike the past, there is hope. The court system works and there are ways they can fight back. There are international courts. However this is a battle against Goliath. The Aboriginal people are facing governments that are looking to increase employment, reducing government deficits and welfare programs.

The scientific question of entropy

An issue that is very important and yet is overlooked is that amidst all the talk of sustainable development the very philosophical foundations of business is not being questioned. All this irrational behavior seems to be induced by the profit motive to fulfill shareholder and Wall Street journal readers. We can relate this to the concept of entropy which implies that everything tends to degrade toward zero without actually ever reaching zero. The growing demand for fossil fuel is tied to the growth based model. This economic model is contributing to the slow decaying of the planet, another fact that was not mentioned.

Other overlooked questions are to do with the real cost of no ice cap and what heritage are we leaving the future generations. This question of heritage was always brought up by the Inuits who always spoke of history, what they experienced and what they were leaving behind for their children. Geography is also about seeing in our lifetime what changes Geography is going through.

The coastal occupants and those living on the island live in constant fear of the negative environmental implications if ever the area becomes free for all. This fear is also fanned by the fact that the Aboriginal people are seldomly consulted on such matters, and on the rare occasions that they are it is often too late.

The Polar Areas are now undergoing some of World’s most speedy and severe climate vicissitudes. The people are wholly dependent on the environment for their living and there very way of life. The people and their culture is rooted in the North Pole being cold not warm. Everything from the polar bears to the seals to the flora and fauna are part of not only who they are but their mythos as well. The main concerns fronting aboriginal peoples are obtainability of their traditional foods, they depend on the predictability of the weather in order to obtain their foods.

According to the documentary the thinning of the ice and the changing geography has meant that once abundant animals are no longer available for they have had to move due to the climatic weather change. People across the Arctic region report changes in the timing, length and character of the seasons, including more rain in autumn and winter and more extreme heat in summer The life styles of the aboriginal people will have to change due to the uncertainty climate change has brought.. (‘Aboriginal Hunting and Fishing Rights’, Lawyers Weekly)

Discussion questions

1. Should Canada force ships to not only declare themselves but pay tax using the N.W passage? The final decision on the border will be determined in 2013. It would make sense to put more Naval ships in its northern border to not only protect the aboriginal people but to discourage ships from using the N.W passage.
2. Should the aboriginal people try and get autonomy of the Island in the north like Québec is trying to? The History of aboriginal people in Canada is one of abuse and suffering. If they were to get greater autonomy they could easily force the government to take greater action in the protection of not only their lands but also end the systematic nature of their abuse by successive governments that have had commercial and electoral interests in mind at the expense of them and the environment

Works Cited

Written and directed by Lynn Raineault and Julian Sher, ‘Battle for the Arctic’, appeared on CBC – Doc Zone, http://www.cbc.ca/documentaries/doczone/2009/battleforthearctic/ (May 20^th, 2010)

Filmmakers Niobe Thompson and Tom Radford, ‘The Last Drop’, appeared on Al Jazeera.com, http://www.aljazeera.com/programmes/witness/2011/06/20116227153978324.html (March 8th, 2010)

Robert J.M. Adkins and Sacha Paul for The Lawyers Weekly, ‘Aboriginal Hunting and Fishing Rights’, http://canadian-lawyers.ca/Understand-Your-Legal Issue/Aboriginal-Law/Aboriginal-Hunting-and-Fishing-Rights.html (2011)