Summit Seeks Accord on Arctic Ocean

Ilulissat, Greenland – The five nations that ring the Arctic Ocean affirmed their willingness to cooperate to protect its environment, at the end of a day-long ministerial summit in Greenland.

"We will take steps in accordance with international law... to ensure the protection and preservation of the fragile environment of the Arctic Ocean," said a statement agreed Wednesday by envoys from Canada, Denmark, Norway, Russia and the United States.

“We intend to work together, including through the International Maritime Organization, to strengthen existing measures and to develop new measures to improve the safety of maritime navigation and... reduce the risk of ship-based pollution,”headded.

The five nations went on to pledge to strengthen cooperation over the Arctic Ocean – including scientific research – “based on mutual trust and transparency.”

The summit in Ilulissat, on Greenland's west coast, was the first to be held at ministerial level between the five regional powers. It wasaimed at easing recent tensions as each nation seeks to extend its sovereignty to the Arctic waters that could hold 25 percent of the world's undiscovered oil and gas, according to the US Geological Survey.

“The race for the North Pole has been cancelled,” said Swedish Foreign Minister Per Stig Moeller, hailing the outcome.

Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov said: "The declaration reflects the will of all participants to resolve the issue through negotiations in a spirit of cooperation and on the basis of international law."

Rivalry between the five Arctic neighbors has heated up as the melting polar ice makes the region more accessible. Denmark and Canada, for instance, have a longstanding disagreement over who owns the tiny, uninhabited, ice-covered Hans Island, which straddles Nares Strait between Greenland and Canada's Ellesmere Island. Canada and the United States are meanwhile at odds over the sovereignty of the Northwest Passage, which links the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. Scientists say the Northwest Passage could open up to year-round shipping by 2050. Last year, Russian explorers planted their flag at the bottom of the ocean, at a depth of about 4,000 meters, underlining Moscow’s aspirations to Arctic territory.

According to international law, each of the countries bordering the Arctic hold sovereignty over a zone measuring 200 nautical miles (370 kilometers). That leaves 1.2 million square kilometers (465,000 square miles) of unclaimed

territory.

II. Translate into English using the prompts..

1. Системная организация природоохранной деятельности является обязательным условием устойчивого социально-экономического развития страны, обеспечения ее экологической безопасности и служит гарантомрезультативности в природоохранной сфере.	environmental activity sustainable ecological security ensures effectiveness
2. Аналитический контроль в области охраны окружающей среды проводится в целях оценки количественных и качественных характеристик выбросов в атмосферный воздух загрязняющих веществ, а также определениязагрязнения земель.	emission contaminators measuring land pollution
3. Одним из важнейших аспектов создания благоприятной окружающей среды является сохранение естественных экосистем и ландшафтов.	favourable environment natural ecosystems landscapes
4. В Республике Беларусь эта цель достигается путем создания особо охраняемыхприродных территорийзаповедников, национальных парков, заказников, памятников природы.	protected areas natural reserves wildlife refuge nature sanctuaries
5. Министерство природных ресурсов и охраны окружающей среды придает большое значениезаключению двусторонних соглашений в области охраны окружающей среды прежде всего с государствами, являющимися нашими соседями, а также другими государствами, проявившими интерес к сотрудничеству в этой области.	Ministry of natural resources and environmental protection

III. Scan the articles on global warming. Extract the topical vocabulary. Compare the points of view presented in the two articles.