Behind Russia vs. Greenpeace Furor, Unreported Oil Pollution of the Arctic

Every year, according to Greenpeace, about 30 million barrels of oil products leak from wells and pipelines in Russia.  An estimated four million barrels of that, roughly the size of BP's Gulf of Mexico spill, flows straight into the Arctic Ocean through tributaries.

The precise impact of these spills on the fragile Arctic environment and its people is unknown, but is likely substantial, Greenpeace says.  For them the leaks—and the alleged lack of adequate means to deal with them—are an example of an inadequate safety culture in the country's oil industry.  And they're causing deep concern about Russia's aggressive push to start drilling for oil in open Arctic waters.

Behind Russia vs. Greenpeace Furor, Unreported Oil Pollution of the Arctic