Why the Cold Rush is hot news
Updated on 30 August 2007
Newsroom blog: inside the morning news meeting.
Our small but perfectly formed Cold Rush series kicks off today with Arctic reports from Jon Snow and science correspondents Tom Clarke and Julian Rush.
Over the next two days we will be exploring the diplomatic, strategic and economic implications of the thawing of the ice cap.
One of the unintended consequences of climate change - man-made or otherwise - is the sudden access to huge oil, gas and diamond (yes, diamond) reserves in an area long inaccessible.
It's believed that the oil and gas the Canadians, Russians and Norwegians are arguing over could amount to a quarter of the word's remaining stocks.
(For more background, watch Jon Snow's explainer)
That's the theme of our mini-series. Today, Jon will be in the High Arctic looking at the energy deals while Tom Clarke reports on the latest technology enabling engineers to tap gas at the sea bed. Julian Rush is on the diamond trail.
And while it may not compare with energy extraction for complexity, getting a programme out of the Arctic is no easy business.
Our plan is to introduce the packages live and do so - if nothing big breaks - at the top of the show.
That's assuming we solve a problem. We can currently broadcast words and pictures from the Arctic - but if we want the words to synch with the pictures, well that's a whole different story.
