Arctic Council and India Issues insightsonindia.

com

https://www.readability.com/articles/qhwxj6in

insightsonindia.com

Arctic Council and India Issues

by Insights Dec. 28, 2013 15 min read original

Tauseef & Others Relevant Issues related to Arctic Co uncil and I ndia The Arctic Council was establi shed in 1996 (Ottawa Declaration). It has eight original members i.e Canada, the US, Russia, Norway, Sweden, Finland, Denmar k and Iceland and six permanent participant organi zations and many observers. Originally, the councils main focus was to address environmental i ssues and the concerns of the indigenous people in the region. But in recent years, r api d melting of the A rctic ice due to global warming, opening of the shorter A rctic sea route for shipping between the Atlantic and the Pacific Oceans during summer months and the prospects of large-scale hydrocarbons in the Arctic sea has led to cold rush and changed the complexion of the r egion. Recently few countries were given observer status along with India. Other countries that joined India as Observers were China, Japan, South Korea, Singapore and Italy. The United Kingdom, France, Germany, Poland, Spain and the N etherlands ar e already Observers. Criteria for Observer Status: (i) Recogni ze the sovereign rights of Arctic states. (ii) Recogni ze that the Law of the Sea and the U.N . Convention on the Law of the Sea constitute the legal basis and the legal framework within which the A rctic will be managed. (iii) Respect indigenous peoples, local cultur es and traditions; and (iv) Be able to contribute to the work of the Arctic Council. N ow, when India got the observer status, there were criticism awaiting and followed too. Why and what of criticism? In accepting to abide by these criteria, India has recogni zed the territorial jurisdiction and sovereign r ights of the Arctic littor al states and hence their pr e-eminent and even pre-emptive r ole over the A rctic zone. The acceptance of the Law of the Sea as the governing instrument for the Arctic also implies that the extension of jurisdiction over the continental shelf as well as over maritime passage and the r esources of the ocean space will lie with the littoral states. So the voices ar e against such acceptance and in favor of the concept of Global Common. What is Global Common then? Global commons is a term typically used to describe international, supr anational, and global resource

1 of 8

3/18/2014 2:19 AM

Arctic Council and India Issues insightsonindia.com

https://www.readability.com/articles/qhwxj6in

domains in which common-pool resources are found. Global commons include the earths shared natural resour ces, such as the deep oceans, the atmosphere, outer space and the N orthern and Southern Polar r egions, the Antarctica in particular . Cyberspace may also meet the definition of a global commons. Many opposed the Arctic council by terming Arctic as GC and when India got Observer status the critics lamented India because of its abi ding the criteria of council and defeating the purpose of GC. Critical Assessment of Arctic Co uncil: The Arctic has virtually become the inland water space of the five coastal states Russia, N orway, Denmark, Canada and the United States. India has, therefor e, no more room to argue that the region be treated in the same manner as the Antarctica. In the Antarctica T reaty of 1959, territorial claims have been kept in abeyance in favor of a global commons appr oach, respecting the pri stine nature of the ice covered continent. The trends we see in the A rctic region may well come to pass in the Antarctic as well. The claimant states could r easonably argue that just as the Arctic space is being managed by the sovereign members of the A rctic Council, with well-defined norms and through cooperation among both the littoral and user states, why could this not serve as a template for Antarctica? Like the A rctic, the Antarctic, too, is a treasure house of resources. These are also being unlocked by the steady melting of the continents ice cover. I mplications: Indian gain/loss and global gain/lo ss The eight Arctic States have moved quickly to strengthen thei r claims on the A rctic sea region surrounding the N orth Pole. What should ideally have been a global common like the Antarctic barred from exportation by states is now almost an internal lake of the surrounding Ar ctic States. As the arctic ice melts, the unseemly rush for the exploitation of the resources of the Arctic region has begun in all earnest. The accelerated melting of the ice in the A rctic will have implications for global climate as well as politics, economy and transportation. It is no surpri se that countries like China, situated far away, are keenly interested in the A rctic sea as they link it with thei r prosperity and security. The Ki runa mini sterial declar ation brings out issues that are of immediate concern to the A rctic states. The approach adopted by the Arctic Council is to regulate the shipping lanes, hydrocarbons prospecting and the exploitation of marine resources. The Ki runa declaration has set up a number of focused task forces to study the issues. A legally binding agr eement on maritime and aeronautical search and rescue has already come into force. Mor e such agreements can be expected in the future. This i s where India, which has had a long-ter m scientific interest in the Arctic Sea going back to the 1920 Svalbard treaty, comes in. India can learn and even contribute to the work of the Arctic Council. First, India has deep inter est in climate change. The Kiruna declaration describes climate change as a serious threat. It recogni zes that climate change in the A rctic causes significant changes in water, snow, ice and permafrost conditions, with cascading effects on biodiversity, ecosystems, economic and human living conditions in the Arctic with reper cussions around the world. It recommends deep cuts in CO2 and gr eenhouse gases emissions. The council wishes to be proactive in climate change negotiations. India, as a developing country and firm believer in equity, has a position very different from that of the Arctic states that are all developed states. Will India be able to sensitize these countries of its position? India can and must engage with the A rctic Council states on climate change issues. The melting of the A rctic ice can have adverse impact on global atmospher ic and oceanic circulations. Will it impact the monsoons on which India is so dependent? India also needs to study the impact of

2 of 8

3/18/2014 2:19 AM

Arctic Council and India Issues insightsonindia.com

https://www.readability.com/articles/qhwxj6in

climate change on the H imalayan glaciers that are the source of so many of Indian rivers. The membership of the Arctic council will pr ovi de India an opportunity to get plugged into global, cutting edge research on these i ssues. Second, India which i s home to a wide variety of biodiversity could gain from efforts of the council states to adopt sustainable development measures to pr otect thei r fragile A rctic environment and the indigenous people. Although India is located in a very different geography, it faces challenges such as how to preser ve biodiversity, contain maritime pollution, and pr eserve fish stocks. India can share expertise in thi s regard. Third, as the Ar ctic Sea opens, it will escalate new opportunities for shipping and energy prospecting. India cannot remain indifferent as the geopolitical importance of the Arctic sea increases. India will get involved in global governance i ssues per taining to the A rctic, and participation in the council will give it a chance to observe the emer gence of the Arctic in this regard closely. Role of an Observer: Is it justified? I ndias Role and prospects On one hand the permanent members hold complete jurisdiction over Arctic and on the other hand giving Observer status to nations. Let us see how impactful the OS is: Observers do not have a role in decision making and thei r membership can be suspended if their activity i s not in consonance with the principles enshrined in the Arctic Councils documents. The Arctic Council mini sters have adopted a manual of rules of engagement for observer members. It stipulates that observers are encouraged to continue to make relevant contributions through thei r engagement primarily at the level of working groups. This provides India an opportunity to take part in the meetings of various working groups. The Arctic Council has six working groups covering pollution, monitoring and assessment, conservation of fauna and flora, emergency preparedness and response, Arctic marine environment and sustainable development. India, given its scientific expertise in the A rctic, Antar ctic, the H imalayas and capabilities in r emote sensing, can sur ely contribute to the work of some of the working groups. Indias membership of the council will boost its nascent field of Ar ctic research. Besi des official involvement, an opportunity also comes for Indian think tanks, which should develop close co-operation with their Arctic counter parts to understand the evolution of the A rctic sea. Economic gain vs Ecological catastrophe: The on the one hand and on the other hand appr oach that all these stakeholders are guilty of, merely disgui ses the fact that the lure of pr ofit has already tri umphed over the fear of ecological disaster. What could be done to restr ain this headlong rush into a potential ecological catastrophe of global dimensions? 1. The U.N . should set up its own Arctic body. It may be on the lines of the Indian Ocean Commission, which may provide the international community the capacity to monitor what is happening in the region. 2. Draw up strict nor ms for activities, taking into account the global commons character of the A rctic, and put in place a credible and effective compliance mechanism. India could certainly push for such a global regime without violating its role of Observer at the Arctic Council. 3. It may also be worthwhile for India and other developing states to put the Arctic on the agenda of the multilateral negotiations on Climate Change under the U.N. Framework Convention on Climate

3 of 8

3/18/2014 2:19 AM

Arctic Council and India Issues insightsonindia.com

https://www.readability.com/articles/qhwxj6in

Change. 4. A separate resolution or decision of the Conference of Parties to the Convention could draw attention to the Arctic as a global commons, its impact on global climate and the need to ensure that the activities undertaken there do not harm the well-being of the vast majority of people around the world. A view on India, accepting the Obser ver Status: (Other than discussed above in implications) Against Robin Singh and For-Tauseef Ahmad Against: India should have not gone for observer status. It is myopic decision. We are so far from arctic that any commercial advantage will be mar ginal, both transportation and oil. So it would have been better to ask for global common status for it and governing institutions similar to Antarctica and then use thi s issue to get on moral high ground to boost stand in climate change talks. There is barely much carbon space in atmosphere. Unlocking new oil r esources would take off the pressure of investing in clean technology. We have more to lose from climate change than to gain from few million tons of oil. For But we should not for get that lone decisions never wor k in global agendas. As a developing nation, India, if gone against it, would have succumbed to stand out, of what now has been at least some voice to be heard in multilateral for a. I mentioned how India could utilize its membership being a member. Against: The main reason for arctic rush is commercial gain..nothing more.. we cant gain so why rush. Many other developing countries cant rush either. It can be used to unify all of them in climate change whose importance i s incr easing every year . Use it to expose hypocri sy of developed world For: I agree, it is. But I feel Indias other stake and stakeholders with whom India has bilateral relations like Russia and US, if opposed by India will have dangerous ramification for India. The sagacious way out is not to get segr egated here because other developing nations especially China has caught thi s opportunity with full openness. Indias dissent will land it out of bilateral and multilateral stands. Right now, India i s already suffering from non-trustful foreign policy and another segregated approach has no positive deliberations for India. Against: China has the capacity..more economic heft to do it..so it is doing it..it is also relatively more close and soon it will have its blue water navy to protect its economic interests in far away region.india lacks these capacities. It i s true china is moving towards stand of developed countries. We are just legitimizing the exploitation of arctic with our pr esence with barely any gain. At least we could have used it to strengthen our position in climate change negotiations by staying away. We wer e recently isolated there in recent years. Such an issue would have been a bargaining chip. For: Just because China has capacity and India do not, is it viable to come to conclusion?

4 of 8

3/18/2014 2:19 AM

Arctic Council and India Issues insightsonindia.com

https://www.readability.com/articles/qhwxj6in

I think it would be parochial on that note to discard any gainful participation and choose fruitless segregation. One has to welcome certain futuristic stands and sustainable situation reaction process. By that, Indias stand is well justified and well placed too. The case in point is of Kyoto Pr otocol and other critical issues where Developed nations behaved like escape goats in spite of the potent issue to be addressed. India will now have some say, if it find like-minded developing nations to deliberate on climate change negotiations and simultaneously having a watch over riparian states activities in A rctic r egion, which India would not had, if have opposed. I do agree that the climate talk and its preservation in contemporary time is of paramount importance but looking into the perspective of Indiathe keen interest and involvement of its long time friend Russia in the A rctic region is very vital as pointed by #Tauseef .As India is starving for energy and in dire need of energy secur ityso if Russia can emerge as big player it will surely help India in enhancing its energy security with cheap import from Russiaand Indias recent close ties with Canada also must not be ignored. (nishant) Against I understand the utility of strengthening energy security on the basis of our relationship with russia but it i s debatable that when we have been unable to secure oil from siberian oil fields in russia how will we be able to secure substantial amount from arctic. This was an opportunity to move world away from growing dependence on oil with not much costs to us. Lets not for get india is among the most vulnerable countries to climate change as per IPCC report. We have to prioritise our choices before its too late. We cannot afford the long term and lar ger cost of climate change but there is any barely any short term gain in arctic. Its far away, we dont have technology to drill in such harsh environment, dependent on goodwill of others and losing an opportunity to rally the developing world in our favour. I believe that if there is any chance of world to be safe from climate change, then countries will need to bury there short term.interests and cooperate. Reali stic international politics in this i ssue is road to doom. Besides arctic littoral countries are going to fight for sovereignty there for long time. So i dont think any commer cial oppor tunities will open any time soon either. Resolving thei r claims among them i s not so easy. Resolving sovereignty few islands is so contentious in east china sea. That is whole arctic. For I agree with ur views but do u think India i s smar t enough to project such moves? I think not.Lest India i s self sufficient in ener gy security, which is a far dream, India will never rai se or align against super powers prowess. In pragmatic sense the idea of OS is justified but theoretically ur views has validity. I beg to differ that diplomacy is run thru cooperation and not a lone business. Against It is not a lone business..it is not against anyone but for climate change and alliance with developing countries which we already need. It is realistic calculation. That region is contentious. We wont gain much. Why not str engthen position on climate change. For long term energy security india needs clean tech..inhouse and in collaboration..we cannot be dependent on only one source of energy either. Climate change will become issue of national security for many countries including us. If india was getting good deal of oil in say next 10 yrs, it would have been better but that wont be happening. This is profiteering from climate change by making use of pathways opened in arctic. World is watching our actions not words. For

5 of 8

3/18/2014 2:19 AM

Arctic Council and India Issues insightsonindia.com

https://www.readability.com/articles/qhwxj6in

when we are talking about clean ener gy one thing should be pretty much clear that no consensus have been developed b/w developed and developing nation on the transfer of clean technology so that i s really a distant dream for all the least developed economiesto receive clean energy.Secondly most of the developed nations ar e the biggest Industry polluters and henceforth greatly responsible to worst climate changeso even if India takes a stand nothing much is gonna change at the global stageso India must not loose its chance to secure its energy scenario SeeI stated in ma article under gain and loss for India already. That though India will nt gain much but being a mute spectator away from the alliance is much devastating than being in watch dog like situation. Secondly, I also said that India will be monitoring the progress there and simultaneously pursue UN s advent to have universal juri sdiction under proper legislation along with aligning with like minded nations for the cause of GC. Right now if India single- highhandedly wuld have gone to become hero of abjuring developed nations, it wud be no less than a suicide in diplomatic sense. Against Indias presence has only legitimised thei r collective claim to arctic excluding the rest of the world. India does not have power to enforce anything that it does not like happening in arctic. But we managed to get deal at wto only because of support from other developing countries. So on climate change we have leverage to push our cause. I find it highly doubtful if we are going to get any oil from there anytime soon. But we have a climate deal to sign by 2015..in 2 yrs. We can be seen as colluding with rich countries in rampaging arctic. the only major selling point of being there- large oil tankers heading india. India lacks enough diplomats or think tanks to do long term strategic thinking..our inability to do so is no excuse. I am not against joining ar ctic council as obser ver . But only that benefits are not apparent and costs are. Maybe we dont know all facts or reasons that govt considered. If there i s then i dont mind india joining. I just think not joining is also a strong counter argument. For Agree..but i think u r nt clear with OS .thats why u r again and again concerned of India being benefited with oil and resour ces. Because OS is only a membership for scientific engagements and endeavors to learn, not to gain. Furthermore, Indias stand is to learn first and then engage others thru UN, which I think u r nt pointing as middle path. Pragmatically, getting segregated with nly stretching voice that too, to deaf nations is a fools idea, so better and smart strategy is to have some potent clout and then hit the bulls eye bro,we succeeded in WTO not because of only developing countriess support,but there were some other r easons and circumstances tht made thi s possible.I emphasised on this point because some major developing countries like China,Paki stan,Indonesia etc. had taken away thei r support from Indias stance on some ser ious issues,including food secur ity.Apart from Indias successful diplomatic handling of issues,the feel of lagging multilateral trading system also was in Developed worlds mind and amid the stagnating world trade growth,situations has compelled them to agree on India- led some strong determined developing countries stand. Against I understand scientific endeavours and other reasons. But the central reason everyone i s there is for

6 of 8

3/18/2014 2:19 AM

Arctic Council and India Issues insightsonindia.com

https://www.readability.com/articles/qhwxj6in

commercial benefits..rest i s secondary. UN cannot change the current structure anymore. The reason why they had put recogni zing claims of littoral countries as main condition for observer status countries was to co-opt them. In no other inter national or regional institution we see such a condition. The only r eason other than energy security which seems feasible is that too many of our strategic partners are part of it. But that is more of good will gesture.not hard nosed interest based action. I can say with certainity that we have no influence in deci sively making any change in decision making at arctic. We are just an observer and will remain that. What happens at arctic will soon become an issue at climate change talks and developing countries will r ai se it. India would not have been alone on this issue. World needs india as much as india needs it. So isolation will not take place.thei r are other issues to unite. US wont go away just because we didnt join thei r arctic gr oup. I m not merely talking in terms of principles. Its interest based. The only point i s if we are getting any concrete benefits or are there any losses. I dont see the benefits. Arctic countries mind wont change..its made up. They want to exploit arctic.india being inside or outside doesnt matter.it wont affect them. But i thi k our position in climate change could have been boostes.besi des we could have joined it later also. That option was open too. Why hurry. Let climate change talk get over. For a great amount of discussion i s done with the climatic and energy security aspect of the recent debate over Arctic Council and also Indias obser ver statusnow lets see how the exploration of new energy r eserves in different or ientation i.e. how it will change the power equation in the world With the discovery of shale gas reserves U.S is already gaining independence on its imports from West A sia..and with the discovery of huge miner als and energy reserves from melting Arctic region.U.S and Russia will emerge as the new big players in exporting these excess r eserves for the developing Asian countries.So the long era of dominance of Gulf countries will be put to a direct thr eat.Str ategic Importance of U.S.A towards West Asian Countries will greatly reduce as U.S itself will be great player in export terms.So it will bestow a great chance to two Asian giants India and China to embark their greater foot printin the West Asia and mold thei r foreign policies for reaping maximum dividends out of it.. Strategically this is the best time for India and China to settle out all thei r outstanding issues and march together to be the biggest Super Powers in by building Confidence Building measures and taking each small and big A sian Countries in thei r common faith With this emerging equation both Countries can have a greater say in the international and other Asian multilateral forumsand a completely new paradigm shift of power can be experienced N ow the conclusion is after reading the article and the di scussions, we can address any critical question. Sources: The H indu Indian E xpress Wikipedia

Original URL:

7 of 8

3/18/2014 2:19 AM

Arctic Council and India Issues insightsonindia.com

https://www.readability.com/articles/qhwxj6in

http://insightsonindia.com/2013/12/28/arctic-council-and-india-issues/

8 of 8

3/18/2014 2:19 AM