• While arguing future wars could be fought at the North Pole might be a bit of an overstatement, this regions must be addressed when formulating energy policy. According to global energy expert Wood Mackenzie, 1/5th of the world's undiscovered petroleum is buried under the Artic ice. Even at the ultra-high end of estimates, the controversial region in Alaska, ANWR, only has 16 billion barrels - or 7% of the North Pole's potential.