Dan Rather Reports
Episode Number: 726
Episode Title: A Return to the Northwest Passage
Description: For centuries, explorers dreamed of a Northwest Passage. Now, as the Arctic melts, that
dream is becoming a reality. But is the world ready?
ACT 1: TEASE
DAN RATHER (VOICE OVER)
TONIGHT... A RETURN TO THE NORTHWEST PASSAGE... AS ARCTIC ICE RETREATS AND
SHIPPING LANES OPEN, SCIENTISTS RUSH TO UNDERSTAND A QUICKLY CHANGING
ENVIRONMENT AT THE TOP OF THE WORLD.
DR. SIMON BELT, ARCTIC RESEARCHER
All arctic sea ice records have been broken on almost an annual basis. Given the recent trends, it's
certainly tempting to project forward that the Northwest Passage would be open relatively routinely.
RATHER (VOICE OVER)
AND AS THE ARCTIC OCEAN OPENS UP, IT BECKONS WITH THE PROMISE OF RICHES
HIDDEN BENEATH ITS LANDS AND WATERS.
DR. LAWSON BRIGHAM,
PROFESSOR OF GEOGRAPHY AND ARCTIC POLICY,
THE UNIVERSITY OF ALASKA - FAIRBANKS
The Arctic is becoming more globally connected-- in global commodities, oil and gas-- hard minerals,
copper, nickel, tin. I'm not sure it's a rush or a race, but there's more activity, more investment.
RATHER (VOICE OVER)
PLUS...AS THE FAMED NORTHWEST PASSAGE UNLOCKS ITS ICE TO SHIPS, A CENTURIESLONG DREAM FOR EXPLORERS MAY FINALLY BECOME A REALITY.
DR. JAMES DELGADO,
MARITIME ARCHEOLOGIST AND HISTORIAN
The Northwest Passage was the Holy Grail for European powers, because this was the key, not only to
riches, but ultimately, to power.
1 RATHER (VOICE OVER)
WE’LL BRING YOU THE NEWS TONIGHT ON DAN RATHER REPORTS.
ACT 2: ARCTIC SCIENCE
DAN RATHER (ON CAMERA)
GOOD EVENING. AS STRIFE IN THE MIDDLE EAST AND ECONOMIC WOES CONTINUE TO
GRAB THE WORLD’S ATTENTION, IT’S EASY TO OVERLOOK OTHER PARTS OF THE
GLOBE. AND ONE SUCH PLACE IS THE ARCTIC CIRCLE. IT’S QUICKLY BECOMING A NEW
GLOBAL HOT-SPOT, RIPE WITH UNTAPPED NATURAL RESOURCES AND SHIPPING
CHANNELS THAT COULD ALTER THE WAY THE WORLD OPERATES. WHEN WE FIRST
VISITED FIVE YEARS AGO WE SAW FIRST-HAND A QUICKLY CHANGING ARCTIC
LANDSCAPE. TODAY CLIMATE CHANGE CONTINUES TO MELT THE SEA ICE AND THE
STORY HAS BECOME EVEN HOTTER...BUT FIRST, LET’S SET THE SCENE AT THE TOP OF
THE WORLD....
RATHER (VOICE OVER)
THE 8-MILLION SQUARE MILES OF THE ARCTIC IS A BARREN, ELEMENTAL PLACE, AND A
WINDSWEPT LAND OFFERS LITTLE MORE THAN A THIN BLANKET OF SNOW. MOST OF
THE ARCTIC IS ACTUALLY A DESERT – GETTING ROUGHLY THE SAME PRECIPITATION
AS THE GREAT SAHARA IN AFRICA. YET IN THIS BARRENNESS LIES BEAUTY. THE
RUGGED LANDSCAPE STRETCHES INTO THE HORIZON, LIKE THE CANVAS OF AN
ABSTRACT ARTIST. THERE ARE ONLY SHAPES AND COLORS. THE ICE HAS MANY HUES
AND THE SETTING SUN PAINTS WITH A FULL PALETTE.
FOR MILLENNIA HEARTY INDIGENOUS PEOPLES WRESTED AN EXISTENCE FROM THESE
WATERS. AND OVER THE LAST FIVE CENTURIES, EUROPEAN AND AMERICAN
ADVENTURES TRIED THEIR LUCK – MANY WHO MADE THEIR NAME HERE DIED DOING
SO. THEY WERE LOOKING FOR A DIRECT SEA ROUTE FROM THE ATLANTIC TO THE
PACIFIC, A NORTHWEST PASSAGE OVER THE AMERICAN CONTINENTS THAT WOULD
GIVE EUROPEANS SWIFT ACCESS TO THE RICHES OF THE ORIENT. THEIR MANY
ATTEMPTS, HOWEVER, WERE FRUSTRATED AND OFTEN CRUSHED BY WALLS OF SOLID
ICE. FOR NEARLY 30 YEARS, SATELLITE IMAGES HAVE TOLD THE STORY: THE ICE CAP
THAT SITS ATOP THE WORLD IS SHRINKING RAPIDLY, AS THIS NASA ANIMATION MAKES
CLEAR.
FOR THE FIRST TIME IN RECORDED HISTORY, BECAUSE OF GLOBAL WARMING, MELTING
ICE UNLOCKED THE PASSAGE. THIS CREATED AN OPEN WATER ROUTE THAT COULD
SHAVE THOUSANDS OF MILES OFF TRADITIONAL SHIPPING ROUTES FROM EUROPE TO
ASIA. GLOBAL WARMING IS UPSETTING A DELICATE ENVIRONMENTAL BALANCE WITH
2 UNPREDICTABLE RESULTS, BUT IT IS ALSO REVEALING RESOURCES THAT HAD BEEN
LOCKED BENEATH THE ICE. GEOLOGISTS ESTIMATE THAT 25-PERCENT OF THE WORLD'S
UNTAPPED OIL AND NATURAL GAS RESERVES LIE IN THE ARCTIC. SO THE ARCTIC IS
SHAKING OFF ITS REPUTATION AS THE END OF THE WORLD. AFTER ALL, THE EARTH IS A
GLOBE, AND THE "END OF THE WORLD" HAS ALWAYS BEEN A MATTER OF PERSPECTIVE.
THIS IS HOW WE SEE THE WORLD FROM NORTH AMERICA, HOW EUROPEANS SEE IT,
AFRICANS, AND ASIANS, WE PUT OURSELVES AT THE CENTER. BUT IF WE RETURN TO
THE GLOBE AND TRAVEL TO THE NORTH, YOU CAN SEE A VERY DIFFERENT TYPE OF
MAP. IN THE MIDDLE, THE NORTH POLE, THE BLUE OF THE ARCTIC OCEAN, AND ITS
DISAPPEARING ICE CAP. SURROUNDING IT, THE FIVE ARCTIC POWERS: THE UNITED
STATES IN ALASKA, CANADA, DENMARK, WHICH OWNS GREENLAND, NORWAY, AND
THE LARGEST ONE OF ALL, RUSSIA.
WE WILL EXPLORE TONIGHT THE MANY RAMIFICATIONS OF THIS NEW ARCTIC
ENVIRONMENT. BUT FIRST WE TRAVEL TO THE FRONT LINES IN THE RUSH TO
UNDERSTAND WHAT IS REALLY GOING ON HERE. THIS PLUCKY RED SHIP AMIDST A SEA
OF ICE IS THE CANADIAN COAST GUARD ICEBREAKER THE AMUNDSEN. IT IS NAMED
FOR A FAMED ARCTIC EXPLORER.
RATHER
We've talked for centuries about a Northwest Passage. When you look at this map, it looks pretty easy.
You just come here and go right straight across, and you're there.
COMMANDER LISE MARCHAND, CAPTAIN OF THE AMUNDSEN
Yes, but the ice doesn't allow you to go that fast. For many years, it's been always closed in this area, so
people couldn't go there.
RATHER
This is some of the heaviest ice around.
MARCHAND
That's right.
RATHER (VOICE OVER)
LISE MARCHAND IS THE CAPTAIN OF THE AMUNDSEN.
MARCHAND
3 When I did my first trip in-- '78 and '79, I mean, it was really packed, it was very hard ice. And it's-- the
conditions aren't the same today.
RATHER (VOICE OVER)
WE TRAVELED ON BOARD THROUGH THE NORTHWEST PASSAGE AND THE NORTHERN
ATLANTIC FOR OVER A WEEK. DESPITE MELTING ICE, THIS FICKLE ARCTIC
ENVIRONMENT, WHERE CONDITIONS CAN CHANGE IN AN INSTANT, STILL REQUIRES
THE SECURITY OF AN ICEBREAKER.
MARCHAND
There's 39 crew members on board, which are members of the Coast Guard. And there's 42 science
people.
RATHER
It's mostly a science ship, isn't it?
MARCHAND
Well, that's what she's been dedicated for.
RATHER (VOICE OVER)
THE AMUNDSEN IS PART OF AN INTERNATIONAL EFFORT TO STUDY THE NORTH AND
SOUTH POLES. THE SHIP IS A FLOATING LABORATORY OUTFITTED WITH HIGH TECH
SCIENTIFIC EQUIPMENT AND A VARIETY OF ODD-LOOKING CONTRAPTIONS – ALL
NECESSARY FOR CONDUCTING CUTTING EDGE RESEARCH.
SIMON BELT IS ONE OF THE SCIENTISTS. HE HAS TRAVELED TO THE ARCTIC FROM
ENGLAND TO STUDY CHEMICALS FROM THE OCEAN FLOOR THAT HE SAYS MAY BE THE
KEY TO UNDERSTANDING THE CURRENT DRAMATIC SEA ICE MELT.
RATHER
We're up here, among other things, to explore the possibility that the historical, almost mythical
Northwest Passage, searched for by explorers for half a millennium, may indeed be open sometime this
century. What do you think?
DR. SIMON BELT
More than likely, I mean, even in the last few years, all arctic sea ice records have been broken on almost
an annual basis. Given the recent trends, it's-- it's certainly tempting to-- to project forward that the
Northwest Passage would be open relatively routinely.
4 RATHER
At least in the summer, or perhaps even year round?
BELT
Maybe even year-round. That's difficult-- more difficult to speculate on. In order to get a better
appreciation of-- the significance of what's happening at the moment, we need to really delve into the
past. And-- and look to our history, look to the ancestors, and use science to investigate that.
RATHER (VOICE OVER)
BUT DOING SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH IN THE ARCTIC IS NOT EASY. JUST GETTING HERE IS
A CHALLENGE. WEATHER CONDITIONS ARE ARDUOUS AND CONDUCTING EXPERIMENTS
IN THIS ENVIRONMENT IS EXPENSIVE.
BELT
You're kind of emotionally on a bit of knife edge, quite often, because, you know, coming to these remote
locations and investing time, financial resources, and knowing that you may in fact go away with nothing.
RATHER (VOICE OVER)
DR. BELT AND HIS COLLEAGUES ARE MEASURING KEY CHEMICAL MARKERS FOUND IN
THE SEDIMENT ON THE OCEAN FLOOR, HUNDREDS OF FEET BENEATH THE SURFACE.
THEY THINK THESE CHEMICALS CAN REVEAL THE ICE CONDITIONS FROM PAST
CENTURIES.
BELT
Our objective is to test a theory about how we might look at sea ice, historical sea ice in-- in the past and
use that information to predict where the-- where the climate, where the weather is going in the future.
What our measure enables us to do is to examine the sea ice composition of the Arctic, historically, by
looking at a fingerprint of the sea ice-- within the sediments.
RATHER (VOICE OVER)
THE SOURCE OF THOSE FINGERPRINTS IS A TINY MICROORGANISM THAT LIVES IN THIS
HARSH ECOSYSTEM - WHERE ICE AND WATER MEET.
BELT
5 Microorganisms inhabit the ice. They produce a unique chemical, and when the ice melts, the organisms
descend through the water column. They enter the sediment, and they release this chemical fingerprint,
just like we would have our own fingerprint, which is diagnostic of our-- of ourselves. Now when we
examine the presence of the-- of this chemical within the sediments, that tells us, either the presence or
the absence of the sea ice in the past.
RATHER (VOICE OVER)
SINCE THESE MICROORGANISMS NEED SEA ICE TO LIVE, NO ICE MEANS NO
MICROORGANISMS AND NO CHEMICAL FINGERPRINTS. THE FOUNDATION FOR DR.
BELT'S RESEARCH IS THE SEDIMENT HE DREDGES FROM THE OCEAN FLOOR.
RATHER
And you do that by what, putting equipment down into the water, pulling up sediment?
BELT
Yes. We take a box, it's a relatively crude device, but it works extremely well. We lower it over the side
of the ship, through the water column, which typically is several hundred meters. And then, as it enters
the sea bed, it plunges down. There's a scoop, comes over the bottom, to close it, and then we retrieve it.
The box core has been deployed. And hopefully, fingers crossed, if you can cross fingers in these gloves,
we'll have something around 30 or 40 centimeters depth worth of sediment.
RATHER (VOICE OVER)
ON THE AMUNDSEN, THERE IS A TIGHT SCHEDULE FOR THE EXPERIMENTS. DR. BELT
HAS A WINDOW OF ONLY A FEW HOURS TO GET HIS SAMPLE. AND AS THE BOX CORE
MAKES ITS JOURNEY TO THE BOTTOM OF THE SEA, ALL HE CAN DO IS WAIT AND HOPE.
BELT
And here we go. This is the moment of truth. First of all of whether the thing has triggered – which it
hasn't.
RATHER (VOICE OVER)
UNFORTUNATELY, THE SHOVEL THAT WAS SUPPOSED TO SWING CLOSE TO CAPTURE
DR. BELT'S SAMPLE FAILED TO DEPLOY. IT SEEMS THE CABLES GOT SNAGGED. WITH DR.
BELT'S EXPERIMENT WINDOW CLOSING, HE TRIES AGAIN.
BELT
We're going to have another go, a second go at the box core. In what sense are you saying it's not good?
6 RATHER (VOICE OVER)
IT LOOKS LIKE STRIKE TWO FOR DR. BELT AND HIS TEAM
BELT
The ocean's floor at this point is really dominated by rocks and small pebbles and not very much
sediment. For our historical sea-ice reconstruction this will be of no use what-so-ever. OK, let's go around
again, eh?
RATHER (VOICE OVER)
THE NEXT NIGHT, THEY TRY ONE LAST TIME.
BELT
The weather is a little inclement. The potential hiccup, I think, will be that fact that it's quite windy and
that makes keeping the ship in one position a little bit more tricky.
RATHER (VOICE OVER)
FINALLY, THE BOX CORE IS BACK ON BOARD, AND THIS TIME DR. BELT AND HIS TEAM
HAVE REASON TO SMILE.
BELT
Perfect, success at last!
RATHER (VOICE OVER)
NOW IT'S TIME TO DIG INTO THE MUD THAT DR. BELT HOPES WILL PROVIDE CLUES TO
THE CHANGING ARCTIC.
BELT
So we'll take a cylindrical tube force it down through the sediment, put a cap on the bottom. We can then
take that away and do subsequent analysis on it.
RATHER (VOICE OVER)
NEXT STOP FOR DR. BELT AND HIS SEDIMENT SAMPLE IS THE ON-BOARD LABORATORY.
EACH TUBE OF MUD IS A DETAILED RECORD OF THE ARCTIC'S HISTORY.
7 BELT
The entire sample is probably four to five hundred years.
RATHER (VOICE OVER)
THE THICK MUCK ON THE TOP IS THE MOST RECENT AND THE MUCK ON THE BOTTOM IS
THE OLDEST. DR. BELT SLICES OFF A FEW MILLIMETERS OF SEDIMENT AT A TIME –
THEN WITH A TWIST OF A KNOB PUSHES UP ANOTHER, OLDER, LAYER. EMBEDDED IN
EACH LAYER OF MUD ARE THOSE CHEMICAL MARKERS MADE BY THE MICROORGANISMS LIVING IN THE SEA ICE. WHEN HE ANALYZES THOSE MARKERS BACK ON
LAND, DR BELT HOPES HE CAN DETERMINE HOW MUCH ARCTIC ICE THERE WAS IN THE
PAST.
BELT
This corresponds to something in the region 150, 200 maybe 250 years ago. So, around the beginning of
the industrial revolution.
RATHER (VOICE OVER)
UNTIL NOW MOST SCIENTIFIC KNOWLEDGE ABOUT SEA ICE MELTING AND FREEZING
COMES FROM SATELLITE IMAGES. BUT SATELLITES ONLY GIVE US INFORMATION FROM
THE PAST 30 YEARS. DR BELT BELIEVES HIS GROUNDBREAKING RESEARCH CAN TAKE
US BACK MUCH FURTHER.
BELT
The period of time that realistically we can use this technique for is called the Holocene, which is the last
10,000 years. It's the period since the last ice age.
RATHER
10,000 years?
BELT
Yes.
RATHER (VOICE OVER)
WHAT DR. BELT LEARNED MAY SURPRISE YOU.
BELT
8 The first results are quite-- quite interesting and maybe-- maybe suggest that what we're experiencing
now, in terms of the-- the warming and the retreat of the-- of the arctic ice cap may have happened-- on a
number of occasions in the past, and-- and relatively frequently.
RATHER
What does that tell us about the current quote, "global warming?" I put it in quotes only because some
people insist to put it in quotes.
BELT
It's tempting to suggest that man is-- is contributing to this solely and within that, there are some small
natural fluctuations. I think what's happening is that there are some quite significant natural fluctuations.
The man-made effects from the burning of fossil fuels is making a contribution. The difference that we
have now, compared with the relatively recent past is that with CO2 levels increasing, maybe the natural
cycles aren't going to be given the chance to recover to return to the colder periods.
RATHER
I want to make sure I understand. Your concern now is because of environmental things created by
humans that perhaps nature will not have an opportunity to recover as it did in the past.
BELT
That's exactly right. I think there is an urgency for us to carry out both fundamental science and apply
that, because we don't really understand the full significance of these changes. And if we don't do
anything about it, then I think, potentially, we may be too late.
ACT 3: LAWSON BRIGHAM INTERVIEW
RATHER (VOICE OVER)
WHEN WE FIRST VISITED THE ARCTIC IN THE SUMMER OF 2007, THE THAWING
LANDSCAPE WASN’T THE ONLY THING HEATING UP. THE RUSSIANS HAD JUST PLANTED
A TITANIUM STEEL FLAG ON THE SEABED OF THE NORTH POLE. THE MOVE HAD NO
LEGAL WEIGHT, BUT THE RUSSIANS RETURNED TO A HERO’S WELCOME. AND IT
LOOKED LIKE THE REGION WOULD BECOME A FOCAL POINT FOR NATIONALISTIC
AMBITIONS.
AT THAT TIME, WE LOOKED AT CANADA’S PLANS TO BUILD A MILITARY BASE IN THE
ARCTIC, AND WE WONDERED WHETHER AMERICA’S SHORTAGE OF ICE BREAKERS
WOULD MEAN THAT WE WOULD BE LEFT UNPREPARED.
9 TODAY, HOWEVER, MUCH OF THAT FRENZY HAS SUBSIDED. AND THOSE WHO
CAREFULLY WATCH THE REGION SAY THE ARCTIC NATIONS TEND TO GET ALONG, UP
HERE, BROUGHT TOGETHER BY THE NEED FOR COOPERATION IN SUCH A HARSH
ENVIRONMENT.
RATHER (ON CAMERA)
BUT MAKE NO MISTAKE, THE ARCTIC IS OPEN FOR BUSINESS AND TO UNDERSTAND
HOW THAT IS VITAL TO AMERICA’S NATIONAL INTERESTS, I SAT DOWN RECENTLY
WITH DR. LAWSON BRIGHAM - A DISTINGUISHED PROFESSOR AT THE UNIVERSITY OF
ALASKA – FAIRBANKS AND A FORMER ICE BREAKER CAPTAIN FOR THE U.S. COAST
GUARD.
RATHER
At this moment in time, what are the most important things for Americans to know about the Arctic and
what's happening there?
LAWSON BRIGHAM,
PROFESSOR OF GEOGRAPHY AND ARCTIC POLICY,
THE UNIVERSITY OF ALASKA - FAIRBANKS
Well, of course, the first obvious thing is that we are a major player and an Arctic state from the day we
purchased-- Alaska from our Russian friends. And so a lot of Americans don't realize that we're part of
the Arctic umbrella, so to speak, and the Arctic community, and we have indigenous people there. But-that's more of an educational thing. I think people recognize there's Alaska. And I think most people
would say it's full of resources, offshore and onshore, fisheries-- natural resources, oil and gas. And-- and
I think it is-- important for the United States to have good-- chemistry, good cooperation, among all the
Arctic states, together as a collective, and also devise some strategies and policies to protect this newly
used ocean.
RATHER
There's a lot of talk of the Arctic being the-- quote, "The 21st Century gold rush with Wild West style
land grabs." Is this overstated, understated, or about right?
BRIGHAM
The Arctic is becoming more globally connected-- in global commodities, oil and gas-- hard minerals,
copper, nickel, tin. I'm not sure it's a rush or a race, but there's more activity, more investment. Why?
Because most of these commodities are scarcer around the rest of the planet, a little bit more access today,
higher commodities prices. And-- and so I would argue it's economics driving a lot of the change in the
Arctic.
10 RATHER
Well, just how rich is the Arctic in natural resources?
BRIGHAM
Well, very rich. The largest zinc mine in the world-- you probably know, visiting Alaska, is this Red Dog
Mine. On the other side of the Arctic, in Russia, in Norilsk-- is the largest nickel mine in the world, fourth
largest copper mine. And so we have offshore Norway already shipping L.N.G., liquefied natural gas, to
Chesapeake Bay and to Spain. And of course our Russian colleagues are beginning to ship oil both
eastward to China and westward out into the Atlantic to other markets. So-- the place is rich in natural
resources. And it might be slightly easier to get to those places with ships and development.
RATHER
The Northwest Passage, it is-- unlocked from one end to the other, as I understand it, for the first time in
the summer of 2008. Is it open now?
BRIGHAM
What we mean by open, though, that-- that historic opening was really for about 14 days. So-- most-most of the year, still, the Northwest Passage is ice-covered. And it will be that way almost through the
century. But the-- the summer window is opening, which might allow for more ships that are non-icestrengthened to sail through. So it's-- it's a matter of how much time. But it is historic-- environmental
change. No question about that.
RATHER
And what has caused that change?
BRIGHAM
It-- it is-- anthropogenic change, man-induced warming that translates-- through the ocean warming, and,
of course, the atmosphere. And we're seeing much, much higher temperature elevations across in the
Arctic. And-- and as you might guess, I don't know-- need to know much about physics to know that-you're gonna melt the ice. And it's melting from the surface-- and also from the bottom. So we have
historic retreats.
RATHER
Now in 2011, both the Northwest Passage and the Northern Sea route that’s the one that goes over
Russia-- were open for transit. What does that mean as a practical matter?
11 BRIGHAM
As a practical matter, it means that we had ice-free conditions along these more than thousand nautical
mile routes, actually 2,000 miles across the top of Russia. It means it's open for a fairly short period of
time. But really the season of navigation is much longer, because in the top of Russia and through the
Northwest Passage, really both Canada and Russia require ice-breaking ships. So-- our Russian
colleagues can probably extend that season for commerce at least three, four months today. And I think
their objective is, talking with them, to extend that navigation season for at least half the year. And what
they're moving, of course, is natural resources from the Russian Arctic-- a few resources from Norway
and Northern Europe, mostly to China, u-- utilizing this new sea route, rather than having to sail around
through the Suez or a longer route.
RATHER
Are we on the verge of it becoming a new shipping superhighway?
BRIGHAM
Well, it's an excellent question. It-- this topic has been overhyped, I-- I would say. Because the-- the
Arctic Ocean, still today, and through the 21st Century-- is ice-covered most of the time. Now that
doesn't prevent ships from sailing through, but they're expensive machines and-- and expensive ships if
they have to be icebreaking or ice capable.
What we really see is windows of time in the summer, likely really across the top of Russia, from maybe
Europe to China, container ships. I mean, you really have to segment out all the different sectors. Global
commodities and natural resources-- that-- that will be destinational shipping, where the ships come from
South to North, carry things to China or wherever. And that's still a use of the Arctic waterways. The
real question is will the container ship traffic of the world - so there've been about 18,000 ships through
the Suez Canal - last year, there were 34 across the top of Russia. So there's a great difference in numbers
of ships today. But they are coming, great challenges. But I don't think it'll revolutionize-- global trade.
RATHER
You don't-BRIGHAM
I don't think it will-- in the century, because-- still the place is cold and ice-covered. And the ice cover,
its presence will affect the economics of shipping.
RATHER
Understood. Well, true or untrue that the Russians are well ahead of anybody else in their exploration of
the Arctic and their, if we can call it exploitation of getting the resources out and using them?
12 BRIGHAM
Well, it's been that way for some time, even during the Soviet era. When I visited the Soviet Union-- we- they used their icebreaker fleet to support the development of oil and gas from the '60s through the '80s
and-- and into the '90s to the end of the Soviet Union.They’re not necessarily ahead of the rest of us in
technology, but because-- Arctic natural resources really do take up a good significant portion of-- the
Russian G.N.P.-- it's very logical that they would develop it.
RATHER
What is the potential here for military conflict in the Arctic?
BRIGHAM
I suggest that it's less than in other parts of the world, because-- although there are a few, I would
consider minor boundary disputes that-- the challenge might be the rest of the world coming to the Arctic.
There could be-- illegal immigration; when you pass ships across the Arctic Ocean, there are some
complications, pollution, spills. And so there are challenges, but they're probably civil law enforcement-types of challenges-- I would suggest, not military conflict. Of course, we have nuclear power states
there, with Russia and the United States. But that's a global issue.
RATHER
Well, we also have nuclear power states in China and India, two countries that need natural resources. So
I'm not suggesting a future war in the area. But I want to hold to the moment to the possibility of conflict.
BRIGHAM
Well, first I would say that-- if you have friction and conflict in an area, it's very hard to develop the
resources-- unless you take them over. And-- and-- and knowing that the sovereign states in the Arctic,
all industrialized advanced nations, not likely to let that happen in-- in-- in a military sense. However, to
develop those resources requires-- investment from the other countries, the non-Arctic states.
RATHER (VOICE OVER)
THE ARCTIC STATES THEMSELVES COOPERATE THROUGH WHAT IS KNOWN AS THE
ARCTIC COUNCIL, WHICH LOOKS AT EVERYTHING FROM COORDINATING SEARCH AND
RESCUE TO PREPARING FOR OIL SPILLS. BUT BECAUSE THE ARCTIC IS AN OCEAN, THE
BIGGER ISSUES, LIKE SOVEREIGNTY AND THE RIGHT TO PASSAGE FOR ALL NATIONS,
ARE COVERED BY A TREATY CALLED THE UNITED NATIONS CONVENTION ON THE LAW
OF THE SEA.
13 DESIGNED TO REGULATE THE WORLD’S OCEANS ON TOPICS RANGING FROM FISHING
RIGHTS TO TERRITORIAL BOUNDARIES, THIS TREATY WAS COMPLETED IN 1982 AND
HAS BEEN JOINED BY 162 COUNTRIES -- BUT NOT THE UNITED STATES. SOME
REPUBLICAN HOLDOUTS IN THE SENATE HAVE STALLED THE RATIFICATION PROCESS
FOR YEARS DESPITE GENERAL BI-PARTISAN SUPPORT.
BACK IN 2007, WE BROUGHT YOU TESTIMONY FROM BUSH ADMINISTRATION OFFICIALS
AND FLAG-RANK MILITARY OFFICERS IN FAVOR OF THE U.S. JOINING THE TREATY.
U.S. SENATOR RICHARD LUGAR (REPUBLICAN-INDIANA)
As a non-party, we do not have a seat at the table...
RATHER (VOICE OVER)
EVEN SOME REPUBLICAN SENATORS SPOKE UP IN ITS FAVOR.
LUGAR
Russia is already making excessive claims in the Arctic. And until we become a party to the
conventionRATHER (VOICE OVER)
IN THE YEARS SINCE, OBAMA ADMINISTRATION OFFICIALS HAVE ALSO COME TO
CAPITOL HILL ASKING FOR THE SENATE TO RATIFY, BUT TO NO AVAIL. AND AS A
RESULT, BACK IN THE ARCTIC, THERE IS UNCERTAINTY ABOUT AMERICAN CLAIMS
THAT COULD HAVE PROFOUND IMPLICATIONS FOR OIL AND GAS EXPLORATION.
BRIGHAM
The treaty allows the coastal states to extend their continental shelf, this, this quirky Article 76 it's called.
And you extend out beyond 200 miles. And-- and so the-- all of the world's countries are doing that, and
particularly in the Arctic. And because we all lie at this-- this place at the top of the world, there are
overlapping claims and potential complexities, which could bring about some friction.
RATHER
Well, how important is that, that we haven't ratified this treaty?
BRIGHAM
Well, it's hugely important. We're a great-- and-- important-- the most important maritime country in the
world, largest navy. Security, maintaining-- global trade. Those are the issues. And the freedom to
14 navigate around the world. It is the framework, the legal framework for all of the use of the maritime
world. It-- it's very unfortunate, at least for my-- my perception that-- that-- we haven't-- ratified long
ago.
ACT 4: HISTORY
RATHER (VOICE OVER)
TODAY, AS THE ARCTIC ICE RETREATS, IT IS NOT ONLY OPENING THE REGION FOR
COMMERCIAL SHIPPING, MINING AND DRILLING. MANY CRUISE LINES NOW OFFER
ARCTIC ITINERARIES, DRAWING CURIOUS TOURISTS BY THE SHIPFUL. THESE MODERN
ADVENTURERS ARE FOLLOWING A LONG HISTORY OF ARCTIC EXPLORATION,
ESPECIALLY OF THE NORTHWEST PASSAGE. BUT AS WE FOUND OUT, THE MEN ON THEIR
WOODEN SHIPS WHO CAME IN CENTURIES PAST FACED MUCH MORE HARROWING
JOURNEYS.
WE SAT DOWN WITH MARITIME ARCHAEOLOGIST AND HISTORIAN JAMES DELGADO, AT
THE EXPLORER’S CLUB IN NEW YORK CITY, TO DISCUSS THE HISTORY OF THE
NORTHWEST PASSAGE.
DR. JAMES DELGADO,
MARITIME ARCHEOLOGIST AND HISTORIAN
The one thing I've learned in studying the Northwest Passage, is that all bets usually are off. The dream of
navigators and nations of four to five centuries past will come true with the Northwest Passage being one
of the great oceanic routes of the world. What's unfortunate with that, is that perhaps the tales of what that
once was, how it was a passage won with toil and with blood, will be forgotten, as it just becomes just
another way to go.
RATHER (VOICE OVER)
AFTER COLUMBUS’ VOYAGE IN 1492. SPAIN MONOPOLIZED THE SEA ROUTES TO THE
NEW WORLD. WITH THE POPE’S BLESSING, SPAIN ALSO CONTROLLED MOST OF THE
NEW WORLD’S LANDS. THIS LEFT THE REST OF EUROPE LOOKING FOR OTHER WAYS TO
REACH THE ORIENT.
DELGADO
The Northwest Passage was the Holy Grail for European powers, because this was the key, not only to
riches, but ultimately, to power. A Northwest Passage - there was no other way. Every other door was
closed.
RATHER (VOICE OVER)
15 WITH THE SUPPORT OF KING HENRY VII OF ENGLAND, JOHN CABOT MADE THE FIRST
RECORDED ATTEMPT TO FIND THE WATERS OF THE NORTHWEST PASSAGE, WHICH HE
BELIEVED WOULD LEAD TO THE RICHES OF THE FAR EAST.
DELGADO
But it wasn't until the voyages of Martin Frobisher, beginning in 1576, that the English first reached the
Arctic, and realized that perhaps this was the way in. Martin Frobisher is one of those typical English
seadogs of the 16th century: hearty, tough, bluff, willing to fight, and I think this tells you a great deal
about the man - the English knew about the Esquimo, as they were known, but they'd never really seen
one come back. A kayak approached Frobisher's ship on his voyage. And this man, big, burly, and strong,
leaned down to grasp this man, to give him a t—trinket, and instead hauled him and his kayak up onto the
deck of his ship, captured him and took him back to England.
RATHER
Live?
DELGADO
Alive. That's the kind of guy Martin Frobisher was.
RATHER
Henry Hudson, arguably the best known of the early explorers - who was he? What did he do?
DELGADO
Henry Hudson is an English merchant and adventurer. Frobisher had talked about a strait that he had seen,
approached, but turned away from. Hudson thought that perhaps that was the way in. Ultimately, Hudson
would push into that strait, and find that it was not the entrance to the Northwest Passage, but Hudson's
Bay. On a voyage that ended farther south, he pushed up a river and, of course, passed the site of modernday New York City. The final voyage of Henry Hudson has Hudson go into Hudson Bay, probe it a bit,
and then get caught by the winter. The men ultimately mutiny, and a handful of those, including Hudson's
own son, who are loyal to the explorer, are placed into a boat with Henry Hudson and set adrift,
marooned, never to be seen again. Henry Hudson, like many Arctic explorers, vanishes into the mist, and
his tale is yet not completely told.
RATHER (VOICE OVER)
BY THE TIME OF THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION, BOTH EASTERN AND WESTERN
ENTRANCES TO THE NORTHWEST PASSAGE HAD BEEN SIGHTED, BUT THEIR
SIGNIFICANCE WAS NOT TRULY UNDERSTOOD. DECADES OF WAR WOULD CONSUME
BRITAIN’S TIME AND RESOURCES AND ULTIMATELY LITTLE WAS LEFT FOR ARCTIC
16 EXPLORATION. BUT WHEN THOSE WARS ENDED, JOHN BARROW, SECRETARY OF THE
ADMIRALTY, SAW A WAY TO KEEP THE ROYAL NAVY BUSY.
DELGADO
In 1818, Barrow sends John Ross with a few ships, up into Baffin Bay. And Ross goes in, skirts the coast
of Greenland, pushes very far north, comes back down, re-charts Baffin's Bay. But he doesn't do his job,
because he sees an entrance. His officers say, "Sir, look. That's got to be it." And he says, "I see no
entrance, it's an optical illusion, I see mountains.” Well, there were no mountains. And Barrow was
furious. He figured that Ross was either a coward or a fool. And so he relieved him of any future
responsibility, of ever going there. And turned to one of his younger lieutenants, Edward Parry. And said,
"You sail there." Parry sails and enters the Arctic in 1819, and goes almost through. He would've been the
first guy through the Northwest Passage, the quest would have been over in 1820. But he’s stopped by the
ice.
RATHER
He's that close.
DELGADO
He is that close. He stops, winters in, at a spot called Winter Harbor. They carve their names on a huge
rock. He turns back, and what follows then, are a serious of other voyages by other explorers which
ultimately end in death and disaster and paint a picture of the Arctic as a dreadful, weird and tragic land,
as one newspaper editorial of the mid 19th century would term it.
RATHER
Well, let's talk about the men who actually sailed on the ships and did the exploring. What kind of men
were they? Who were they?
DELGADO
There's an oft repeated, perhaps cliché phrase, that this was an age of wooden ships and iron men. And
certainly, the type of individual that would go out in quest for a Northwest Passage, or reach the far seas,
was a very hearty and determined individual. Most of these men did not return. Most didn't succumb to
the effects of ice, many men died of scurvy or other diseases. Shipboard hygiene was terrible. Rats lived
in the bilges, and the men tolerated it, because on prolonged voyages, those rats were the only source of
fresh meat that they had.
RATHER
Whoa.
17 DELGADO
Water, packed in casks, would grow green and slimy. Rope would freeze solid. Your bare skin touching
metal would burn and leave flesh and skin sticking to it. Cold wind would whip up. Men would become
hypothermic. It certainly was not a-- an ideal set of conditions.
RATHER
Perhaps the most famous and best-equipped explorer was John Franklin.
DELGADO
John Franklin is one of the most incredible figures in history of Arctic exploration. The man was no fool,
and yet, perhaps, he was. He was a man of some ambition. He was a man who certainly was brave. But
he was also a man who lived within the box.
RATHER (VOICE OVER)
SIR JOHN FRANKLIN WOULD TRAVEL TO THE REGION SEVERAL TIMES BUT IT WAS HIS
FATEFUL FOURTH JOURNEY IN 1845 THAT ETCHED HIS NAME IN ARCTIC LORE.
DELGADO
This was Britain's technological, scientific, military prowess. Two ships, Erebus and Terror, are outfitted
with modern conveniences, including two steam railroad engines lifted off the street railways and put into
the hold, and linked up to propellers were going to give the mode of steam to push him through. They
were also going to provide insulation and heat for the men. The newest conveniences such as canned food
were going to be there so the men didn't have to hunt. Modern, winter proof clothing, a library of over
2,000 books, a Daguerreian photographic apparatus. Even Jacko, the pet monkey all fitted into the holds
of these two ships, and it was going to be a cakewalk. They were going to push through in a season or
two. And what makes them ultimately all the more famous is for all of that, they died to the last man.
They overwhelmed the Arctic. They couldn't power their way through in these wooden ships. They
could've done it in a smaller vessel, but instead, they send these big ships in that get stuck in the ice.
RATHER (VOICE OVER)
WHAT HAPPENED TO FRANKLIN AND HIS CREW IN THIS VAST WILDERNESS REMAINS
ONE OF THE ARCTIC’S MOST HAUNTING MYSTERIES.
RATHER
After all of this bravery, foolhardiness, some of it, finally some European finds a northwest passage.
DELGADO
18 The man who ultimately will trace the Northwest Passage is a Norwegian by the name of Roald
Engelbregt Gravning Amundsen. Amundsen had grown up thrilling to the tales of Franklin and his
sacrifice - he had a romantic personality.
RATHER
Saw himself as a kind of knight of the Arctic.
DELGADO
Absolutely. I mean, Franklin, Sir John, is certainly a knight who dies on the quest for the grail of the
Arctic. Amundsen, as a Norwegian, will pick it up.
RATHER (VOICE OVER)
IN GREAT CONTRAST TO FRANKLIN, AMUNDSEN, IN THE EARLY TWENTIETH CENTURY,
WENT IN SMALL, IN A SINGLE FISHING SLOOP, THE GJØA, WITH A CREW OF ONLY SIX
MEN. RATHER THAN ATTEMPTING TO TAME THE ARCTIC, AMUNDSEN PLANNED TO
LEARN FROM THE ENVIRONMENT, AS HE TRAVERSED THE TREACHEROUS WATERS OF
THE NORTHWEST PASSAGE.
DELGADO
The local Inuit approach him. They talk to Amundsen. He winters with them, charts the magnetic North
Pole, makes friends, and then moves on. Goes all the way through, wends his way up, now coming close
to the border of Alaska. He finally spots a ship. It's an American whaler, the Charles Hanson, out of San
Francisco.
RATHER
He's made it.
DELGADO
He's made it. He said tears come to his eyes. And ultimately, Gjøa is beached on Ocean Beach at the foot
of Golden Gate park in San Francisco, presented as a gift to the people of the city at the termination of the
voyage. And Amundsen is a hero, world famous adventurer who will now go on to conquer other
horizons.
RATHER
First European to make it through the Northwest Passage?
DELGADO
19 Roald Amundsen is the first European to make it through. The most amazing thing about the entire story
of the quest for the Northwest Passage is that the true conquerors of the Northwest Passage were not the
British explorers, they weren't Roald Amundsen and his men. Actually, they were the indigenous people
who lived there. The Inuit, or the Esquimos. They lived understanding the tenuous balance of life in the
North. They adapted by building houses made of snow. They adapted by taking bone and fastening it into
implements in a wood starved land. They adapted by eating raw seal and raw fish to get their Vitamin C,
they adapted to the harsh light of the Arctic by carving goggles made of wood with tiny slits so they
wouldn’t go snow-blind. They were the true conquerors of the Northwest Passage. But, of course, they
never had any reason to sail from one end to the other.
ACT 5: LOCALS
RATHER (VOICE OVER)
TAKING THE PULSE OF THE ARCTIC MEANS APPRECIATING ITS VULNERABILITIES. MOST
OF US SPEND LITTLE TIME THINKING ABOUT THIS ICY LAND, AND IT USED TO BE THAT
OUR COLLECTIVE IGNORANCE WASN’T MUCH OF A PROBLEM. BUT NOW, AS THE ICE
MELTS, THAT IS NO LONGER THE CASE.
RATHER (ON CAMERA)
ARCTIC BAY AND ITS 700 RESIDENTS CLING TO THE FRIGID ROCKY COAST. THIS IS ONE
OF THE HANDFUL OF VILLAGES DOTTING CANADA'S ARCTIC EXPANSE.
RATHER (VOICE OVER)
THE TINY HAMLET IS ABOUT 1000 MILES NORTH OF THE NEAREST TREES. AND IT’S
COLD -- IN JANUARY THE TEMPERATURE CAN DROP TO 30 DEGREES BELOW ZERO. AND
IN JULY IT BARELY CLIMBS ABOVE FREEZING. IT’S A DIFFICULT PLACE TO SURVIVE –
AND YET PEOPLE HAVE THRIVED HERE FOR MILLENNIA. THEY ARE THE INUIT – THE
WORD MEANS SIMPLY “PEOPLE” AND ABOUT 150 THOUSAND INUIT NOW LIVE IN
CANADA, GREENLAND, ALASKA AND RUSSIA. TRADITIONALLY THEIR SURVIVAL
DEPENDED HEAVILY ON THE SEA ICE - THEIR WAY OF LIFE AN EARLY CAUSALITY OF
GLOBAL WARMING.
RATHER
Now, where, what direction were you born? This way or this way?
RATHER (VOICE OVER)
WE MET KIGUTKAJUK AND HER NEPHEW MISHAK ALLURUT. THEY ARE INUIT. SHE TOLD
US THE WORLD OF HER CHILDHOOD HAS ALL BUT DISAPPEARED.
20 RATHER
Tell me what has changed in your lifetime?
KIGUTKAJUK (TRANSLATED FROM INUKTITUT)
The land and the waters have changed, this I know. In my experience, the water near the shore is usually
frozen by now. But as you can see there’s still no ice. Seal Pelts used to be richer and thicker and the
water was naturally very cold. Now because it isn’t cold some seal pelts are much thinner.
SHELIA WATT-CLOUTIER, INUIT ADVOCATE
We depend upon the snow on the ice and the melting of the planet - we are witnessing it first.
RATHER (VOICE OVER)
INUIT ADVOCATE SHEILA WATT-CLOUTIER SAYS HER PEOPLE HAVE LONG WITNESSED
CHANGES TO WHICH THE REST OF THE WORLD IS ONLY NOW AWAKENING.
WATT-CLOUTIER
Nowhere else in the world does ice and snow represent mobility and transportation as it does for us. The
moment this land turns to snow and that water turns to ice it becomes our highways, our supermarkets;
the bounty of the land and the ice.
RATHER (VOICE OVER)
WATT-CLOUTIER SAYS OVER THE CENTURIES THE INUIT HAVE LEARNED TO “READ”
THE ICE. THEY USED TO KNOW JUST BY LOOKING BUT NO LONGER.
WATT-CLOUTIER
Even our most seasoned hunters have difficulty reading; what you see on the top is not necessarily what
you have always know underneath.
RATHER (VOICE OVER)
INUIT HUNTERS ARE NOW FINDING THEMSELVES IN DEADLY SITUATIONS - FALLING
THROUGH THINNING ICE OR BEING SET ADRIFT ON ICE FLOES BY ICEBREAKING SHIPS.
A LOSS OF HUNTING ICE LEADS TO A LOSS OF CULTURE. LEARNING TO HUNT IS AN
IMPORTANT RITE OF PASSAGE IN ARCTIC COMMUNITIES - A RITE WE SAW HANDED
DOWN FROM ONE GENERATION TO ANOTHER. SEA ICE TYPICALLY FREEZES IN EARLY
OCTOBER. WHEN WE VISITED AT THE END OF SEPTEMBER THERE WAS ONLY WATER –
WE WOULD BE HUNTING ABOARD A BOAT NOT A SLED.
21 WATT-CLOUTIER
The hunting culture is not just the killing of animals it’s about teaching our young people how to be bold
under pressure, it’s to build their character skills as you’re out there on the land, how to withstand stress,
how to be courageous, how to be patient, how to have sound judgment, how not to be impulsive. All of
those things are so, so very necessary for a transitioning culture like ours.
RATHER (VOICE OVER)
THIS IS A COMPLEX CULTURE BUILT AROUND A FREEZING AND MELTING SEA. THE
INUIT'S ANCESTORS WERE NOMADIC PEOPLE FROM ALASKA WHO FANNED OUT ACROSS
THE ARCTIC ABOUT 5000 YEARS AGO. THE VIKINGS WERE LIKELY THE FIRST
WESTERNERS THE INUIT MET AROUND 1200 AD, BUT THE VIKINGS DIDN'T STAY LONG.
THEN IN THE EARLY 19TH CENTURY EUROPEAN EXPLORERS SEARCHING FOR THE
NORTH WEST PASSAGE BROUGHT DISEASE AND PREJUDICES TO THE ARCTIC. LIKE
THEIR NATIVE AMERICAN NEIGHBORS TO THE SOUTH – THE INUIT LOST ENTIRE
COMMUNITIES TO MEASLES AND SMALL POX. THE ONES WHO SURVIVED WERE
EXPLOITED. AFTER WORLD WAR TWO THE CANADIAN GOVERNMENT ENCOURAGED
THE INUIT TO ABANDON THEIR NOMADIC LIFE AND SETTLE IN GOVERNMENT BUILT
TOWNS – LIKE ARCTIC BAY. MUCH OF THE TRADITIONAL LIFE OF THE INUIT IS
DISAPPEARING. UNEMPLOYMENT RATES ARE HIGH AND MOST INUIT RELY ON PUBLIC
ASSISTANCE. HIGH SUICIDE RATES, TEENAGE PREGNANCY AND DRUG ADDICTION ARE
WIDESPREAD PROBLEMS. THE OLDER INUIT LOOK AT THE OPENING OF THE NORTH
WEST PASSAGE AND THE POTENTIAL ECONOMIC BOOM IT COULD BRING WITH MIXED
FEELINGS.
WATT-CLOUTIER
You can imagine how many countries and ships would be coming through there and playing havoc with
the migration and the whales and the fish and the seals. And the potential to have terrible oil spills and…
RATHER (VOICE OVER)
INUIT ADVOCATE SHELIA WATT-CLOUTIER SAYS THE INUIT WORRY IF REGULATIONS
ARE NOT PUT IN PLACE AND ENFORCED, THE DAMAGE COULD BE CATASTROPHIC.
WATT-CLOUTIER
We have a lot to offer, tap into us, tap into the strength, the resilience, the wisdom of Inuit. Whatever is
happening to the planet happens here first and if you want to take the pulse of the planet come to the
arctic and feel its pulse and you’ll know how healthy the planet is.
ACT 6: CLOSING THOUGHT
22 RATHER (ON CAMERA)
AND FINALLY TONIGHT THIS THOUGHT ABOUT THE FUTURE OF THE ARCTIC.
FOR ALL THE TALK ABOUT WARMING WATERS AND MELTING ICE, THE REGION
REMAINS REMOTE AND DANGEROUS. WHAT WOULD A CRUISE SHIP ACCIDENT LOOK
LIKE IN THOSE FRIGID WATERS? WHAT WOULD BE THE RESULT OF AN OIL SPILL IN SO
REMOTE A LOCATION? ARE WE REALLY READY TO GAMBLE WITH THE UNKNOWN
EFFECTS OF GLOBAL WARMING? THESE ARE QUESTIONS THAT MUST BE ANSWERED
AND FOR WHICH WE MUST PREPARE. AS THE FIRST PERSON TO CROSS THE NORTHWEST
PASSAGE, FAMED ARCTIC EXPLORER ROALD AMUNDSEN ONCE SAID, ‘ADVENTURE IS
JUST BAD PLANNING.’
AND THAT’S OUR PROGRAM FOR TONIGHT. WE ALWAYS LIKE HEARING WHAT YOU
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FROM NEW YORK, FOR AXS-TV, DAN RATHER REPORTING. GOOD NIGHT.
23