Oil major Shell could soon be allowed to drill for oil in the Arctic.
A decision on whether to grant permission will be made by the US Department of Interior Secretary Sally Jewell later this week.
If approved, the company would be able to drill in the Chukchi and Beaufort seas of the Arctic near Alaska.
Concern has previously been raised by environmentalist groups who have warned of the dangers if there was to be a potential oil spill in the region.
A recent scientific study, which chartered how much of the world’s fossil fuel reserves must stay unburned to prevent dangerous temperature rises, ruled out drilling for oil and gas in the Arctic as “inconsistent” with efforts to tackle climate change.
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