20100730 Claiming the Arctic's Treasures (1)

Claiming the Arctic's Treasures

The shrinking Arctic ice invites a rush of exploration

Our world is on the verge of a modern-day resource rush in the earth's Arctic regions. For decades, we've suspected that the Arctic Ocean holds an abundance of natural resources. Some scientists estimate that as much as 30 percent of the world's undiscovered natural gas and 13 percent of its undiscovered oil lie beneath its waters. We've always assumed these lucrative resources would always be unreachable, locked under the thick Arctic ice. But a warming climate and rapidly melting ice cap have now put these resources within reach.

Currently, the biggest question for the countries surrounding those resources is one of ownership: To whom do these resources rightfully belong? The U.N.'s Law of the Sea Treaty aims to resolve this very question. The treaty states that a country has economic control of all natural resources within 200 nautical miles of its coast. However, it's also possible for a country to claim possession of ocean territory beyond the 200-nautical-mile boundary. To make this kind of claim, a country must prove that the ocean bottom in question is part of the country's continental plate.






verge n. 邊緣
on the verge of something 瀕於某種狀態/某件事即將發生之際
eg: Financial burdens left him on the verge of despair.
=> 經濟上的重擔讓他幾乎要絕望。
eg: The swimmer is on the verge of breaking another world record.
=> 這位游泳選手即將打破另一個世界紀錄

lucrative adj. 賺錢的/有利可圖的
eg: Every advertisement agency is competing for the lucrative contract.
=> 每家廣告公司都在為這有利可圖的合約在競爭
eg: The fashion company's most lucrative line is children's wear.
=> 這家時尚公司獲利最多的是童裝。

boundary n. 分界線/界限
eg: Troops are posted near the boundary between the two countries.
=> 部隊駐紮在二國間的邊界。

boundary n. 界限/限制
eg: Parents should set boundaries and teach their children to respect them.
=> 父母應該設置界限並教他們的孩子遵守這些界限