Source: This post on India’s role in the Arctic has been created based on the article “Breaking the ice: How India can help save the Arctic” published in The Indian Express Hindu on 27^th October 2023.

UPSC Syllabus Topic: GS Paper 1 Geography — Changes in critical geographical features (including water bodies and ice-caps) and in flora and fauna and the effects of such changes.
GS Paper 2 International Relations — Important International institutions, agencies and fora- their structure, mandate.

News: This article discusses the impact of climate change on the Arctic and how multiple challenges are worsening its impact. It also highlights India’s upcoming role in tackling these challenges in global fora related to the Arctic.

What are the growing challenges in the Arctic due to climate change?

1) The Arctic is warming at a rate 4 times faster than the global average.

2) It is leading to an unprecedented loss of sea ice, as well as the thawing of permafrost.

3) This might lead to the escaping of vast quantities of stored carbon into the atmosphere. This can trigger multiple catastrophic and irreversible climate tipping points.

5) Impact on Global South and India: For instance, research shows an intricate correlation between the melting of Arctic sea-ice and extreme rainfall events during the Indian summer monsoon.

For more on Arctic Amplification, read: https://forumias.com/blog/arctic-amplification-what-is-causing-arctic-warming/

What are the reasons for the worsening of the impact of climate change on the Arctic?

1) Rapid pace of development: For instance, Russia is commercialising and expanding trade channels along the Northern Sea Route.

2) Geopolitical interests and conflicts: Other Arctic countries are also planning oil and gas development endeavours.

3) Failure of global governance mechanisms: The Arctic Council stands suspended due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine. This has made it difficult to hold countries accountable and to monitor activities.

4) Non-representative forums: The Arctic Council does not have any member from the Global South, though some, including India, have observer status.

What is the Arctic Council?

Formally established in 1996 by The Ottawa Declaration, the Arctic Council is an intergovernmental forum for promoting cooperation, coordination and interaction between the Arctic States.

Members include eight countries – Canada, Denmark (Greenland), Norway, Russia, United States, Iceland, Finland, and Sweden.

Arctic Council Member Countries. Source: Britannica.

In addition to the member states, observer status is granted to non-Arctic states. India, China were given observer status in 2013.

Originally, the council’s focus was to address environmental issues and the concerns of the indigenous people in the region. Global warming, shorter sea route, hydrocarbons prospects have added on to the stakes in the region. The approach adopted by the Arctic Council is to regulate the shipping lanes, hydrocarbons prospecting and the exploitation of marine resources.

For a detailed account of Arctic governance, read: https://forumias.com/blog/governance-of-the-arctic-explained-pointwise/

What is India’s role?

1) Establishing consensus: India has shown it can balance the competing interests of the Global North and the Global South.
This capacity to generate consensus will be needed to reform Arctic governance and protect the climate.

2) Voice of the Global South: The active involvement of India as a member of the Arctic Council to voice the concerns of the Global South could help push for an end to further exploitation.

This is essential to protecting our global climate, including critically important ecosystems such as the Arctic.

Question for practice:

‘India can steer the global agenda on the Arctic’. Discuss in light of the suspension of the Arctic Council and threats to the Arctic due to climate change.