WASHINGTON, April 6, 2009 (AFP) – Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on Monday said the United States was “committed” to ratifying a convention on use of the world’s oceans as she called for more international cooperation to protect the North and South poles.

With global warming opening up new navigation routes in the Arctic, Clinton said Washington would work with other countries surrounding the region “to strengthen peace and security and support economic development and protect the environment.”

“The changes under way in the Arctic will have long-term impacts on our economic future, our energy future and indeed again the future of our planet, so it is crucial that we work together,” Clinton said at the first international diplomatic conference devoted to the future of the North and South Poles.

“That starts with the Law of the Sea Convention, which President (Barack) Obama and I are committed to ratifying, to give the United States and our partners the clarity we need to work together smoothly and effectively in the Arctic region,” Clinton told delegates attending the conference in Baltimore, Maryland.

The United States signed in 1994 the convention’s text, after having secured changes to certain provisions deemed against U.S. interests. But Congress never ratified the treaty, despite a lobbying effort by former president George W. Bush in 2007.

Clinton was hosting the first joint session of the Antarctic Treaty Consultative Meeting (ATCM) and the Arctic Council, which the State Department called “the two most important bodies involved with diplomacy at the Poles.”

The gathering was expected to be dominated by the fierce competition for oil and gas deposits in the continental shelf around the North Pole, sparked by climate change.

The U.S. Geological Survey estimates that the Arctic holds about 90 billion barrels of oil and even bigger deposits of gas.

Excerpt from Clinton’s remarks:

But it is important for humanity’s understanding of our planet and our ability to anticipate and mitigate the changes caused by global warming. And with the collapse of an ice bridge that holds in place the Wilkins Ice Shelf, we are reminded that global warming has already had enormous effects on our planet, and we have no time to lose in tackling this crisis. I’m very pleased that the Obama Administration has made it clear that we are committed to working with you and leading in our efforts, advancing toward Copenhagen to take united action on behalf of our response to global climate change.

We need to increase our attention not only to the Antarctic but to the Arctic as well. As a senator, I traveled to the Arctic region, both in Norway and Alaska. I saw for myself the challenging issues that the region is facing today, especially those caused by climate change. This too provides an opportunity for nations to come together in the 21^st century, as we did 50 years ago in the 20^th century. We should be looking to strengthen peace and security, and support sustainable economic development, and protect the environment.

The warming of the Arctic has profound implications for global commerce, with the opening of new shipping routes. It raises the possibility of new energy exploration, which will, of course, have additional impacts on our environment. And Arctic warming has already serious consequences for the indigenous communities that have made their homes there for many generations.

The changes underway in the Arctic will have long-term impacts on our economic future, our energy future, and indeed, again, the future of our planet. So it is crucial that we work together. Here in Washington, the State Department coordinates Arctic policy for the United States, and I am committed to maintaining a high level of engagement with our partners on this. That starts with the Law of the Sea Convention, which President Obama and I are committed to ratifying, to give the United States and our partners the clarity we need to work together smoothly and effectively in the Arctic region. There are also steps we must take to protect the environment. For example, we know that short-lived carbon forcers like methane, black carbon, and tropospheric ozone contributes significantly to the warming of the Arctic. And because they are short lived, they also give us an opportunity to make rapid progress if we work to limit them.