Resource Frontiers

A resource frontier refers to an area on the periphery of a country or territory which is being opened up for resource extraction as older, more accessible resource locations become exhausted.

The fact that these frontiers have yet to be fully exploited means that they are often natural environments with little or no human development. As such there is frequently a potential conflict between the demand for mineral resource exploitation and the desire to maintain the natural environment. Also, the lack of prior human development is normally because of a harsh natural environment which has largely deterred settlement. This same harsh environment of deserts, mountains or tundra normally poses technological challenges to those exploring for natural resources, extracting them and moving them to market. While there may be resource frontiers on the margins of countries, resource frontiers can also exist in international territory. In such cases, the challenges are not only physical but also political.

Examples of resource frontiers posing environmental challenge include Alaska and the Arctic Circle. Exploration for on- and off-shore mineral resources in Alaska has often been the focus of political debate since Alaska became a US state in 1959. A ban on drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) was eventually signed into law in 1980. Most recently, in January 2015, President Barack Obama tried to extend the area where drilling for oil is prohibited but President Trump is arguing to lift restrictions.

The Arctic Circle is considered to have great potential for mineral resource extraction, especially for oil and gas, but the physical challenges of exploring for and extracting oil and gas in the icy conditions are some of the most challenging in the world. 

In addition, much of the Arctic Circle falls into the territories of five regional countries: the USA, Canada, Russia, Norway and Denmark (via its ownership of Greenland). These five countries’ territorial claims only extend 200 nautical miles from their coastline and all sea (and ice) beyond those countries’ territories is classed as international territory. Whilst the five countries have begun exploration of their Arctic waters, a number of countries have also sought to extend their territorial claims by trying to prove that the extent of their continental shelf stretches further from their coastline.