The Canary Islands Archipelago, an area in the Atlantic where oil tankers must sail carefully and inform the local authorities to avoid environmental damage,  is becoming the stage for a new chapter in the world’s race for oil. This week, the Spanish Supreme Court cleared Spanish oil company Repsol’s plans to drill up to three wells in the area to determine if the exploitation of its alleged oil reserves is economically viable.

The Canary Islands is a group of seven major islands of Spain situated in the Atlantic Ocean just 160 kilometers (around 100 miles) from Morocco and Mauritania in Northwest Africa. Their location makes them a unique ecosystem, with at least 2,000 native animal species. Since 2005, they have