Where does Denmark get off in claiming the North Pole?

COPENHAGEN (Reuters) - Denmark aims to claim the North Pole and hunt for oil in high Arctic regions that may become more accessible because of global warming, the Science Ministry said Monday.

It said Denmark would send an expedition to try to prove the seabed beneath the Pole was a natural continuation of Greenland, the world’s biggest island and a Danish territory whose northern tip is just 450 miles from the Pole.

Denmark expects that this will give it access to new resources of oil and natural gas outweighing the $25 million that they have earmarked for the search.

I didn’t think that anybody could own the North Pole. Apparently Denmark’s claim rests on a U.N. convention allowing coastal nations to claim rights to offshore seabed resources. Countries that ratify it have 10 years to prove they have a fair claim to the offshore territory and its resources.

But they have to prove that it’s a valid claim, first. Other claimants include Russia, Canada, Norway, and of course the USA. Samantha Smith, director of the WWF environmental group’s Arctic Program, suggests that it would be a good idea for nations around the Arctic to sign a treaty to regulate access to oil, fisheries and possible new shipping lanes through the Arctic as the ice retreats because of global warming.

All of this begs the questions: Doesn’t Santa Claus have a prior claim to the North Pole? Where will Santa go if Denmark builds a drilling platform on top of his workshop? Will toy production and shipping be disrupted? There might be a pretty sad Christmas if Denmarks claim is upheld as valid.