Climate Change in the Arctic: Challenges and Opportunities - Essay Example

Contents Introduction 2 ment of the Problem 5 Research Questions 5 Hypothesis 5 Objectives 6 Audience 6 Solutions 6 Call for Action 7 Introduction Climate change has brought global focus on arctic. The ice in the arctic is melting. If the present trend continues, Arctic Ocean would be ice-free by 2050. The arctic is the region around earth’s North Pole, opposite of Antarctica. The arctic circle includes arctic ocean and parts of Canada, Greenland (a territory of Denmark), Russia, the United States (Alaska), Iceland, Norway, Sweden and Finland. Among these eight countries in the Arctic Circle, five are arctic coastal states- United States (Alaska), Canada, Russia, Norway and Denmark (Greenland). The Arctic Ocean is covered with ice and is surrounded by treeless permafrost. The sea ice in the arctic has declined very much in recent years. ` The recording of extent of ice in arctic began in 1953. Since then, the extent of the summer sea ice has been declining. The extent of ice was the lowest in 2007, the second lowest in 2008, and the third lowest in 2010. Currently, the snow cover in the Arctic is present for about 200 days per year. A decrease in the duration of the snow season results in increased warming. Between 1970 and 2000, there was a decrease in duration of the snow season by approximately 2.5 days per decade. From the commercial point of view, it is a new opportunity as exploration of the arctic has become easy now. Estimates show that Arctic can contain about 20 per cent of worlds reserves of hydrocarbons. Most of these resources happen to be in the Russian part of the arctic. New trade routes linking the Atlantic and the Pacific via arctic instead of Panama Canal has become a possibility now. So, there began a geopolitical competition in the region to gain control over transport routes and natural resources. All these have increased the strategic importance of arctic region. Countries bordering arctic are also in the process of preparing territorial claims for submission to the Commission on the Limits of Continental Shelf. Russia claims a large portion of arctic. The Arctic is highly vulnerable to the effects of global warming. There is greater warming in the Arctic than global average. Because of this, there are concerns that the melting of ice in Arctic could result in rise in sea levels. The current Arctic ice melt might also lead to Arctic methane release. Large amount of methane is stored in the permafrost. Methane is a greenhouse gas and is more dangerous than carbon dioxide. Scientists are not sure whether this is natural cycle or manmade. Apart from concerns regarding the negative impact of warming in the Arctic, some potential opportunities have come up. Since the middle ages, world’s maritime powers looked for a shorter route between Atlantic and Asia. The melting of ice opens up the possibility of two trans arctic routes- The Northern Sea route and the Northwest passage. The new routes will reduce distances between Europe and Asia. It will also provide strategic alternatives to other countries such as Japan. At present Japan is dependent on the Strait of Malacca for transporting energy. The Northern Sea route (North East Passage) is along Russia’s northern border from Murmansk to Provideniya. It is about 2600 nautical miles in length. The Northern Sea Route, the shortest shipping lane from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean, links European Russia with Russia’s Far East. The Northern Sea Route over Eurasia is important since it shortens shipping routes between northern Europe and north-east Asia by 40 per cent .The Northwest Passage is through Canadian arctic islands. It consists of several potential routes. The US Geological Survey report of 2008 says that the extensive arctic continental shelf may constitute the geographically largest unexplored prospective area for petroleum remaining on earth. It estimates 90 billion barrels of oil and 1700trillion cubic feet of natural gas remain to be discovered. Such reports have led to recent international debates as to which nations can claim sovereignty or ownership over the waters of the Arctic The division of the Arctic into national sectors began in 1909 when the Canadian government declared its sovereignty over the territory between the North Pole and mainland Canada. Soviet Russia followed suit and in 1926 it unilaterally demarcated its Arctic possessions. But that delimitation of Arctic water areas did not apply to the continental shelf, as the bottom of the Arctic seas was declared indivisible. In 1997, Russia ratified the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea. From then on, Russia is limited by 200-mile economic zone. But according to the Convention, countries can make new claims of exclusive economic zone on the basis of scientific evidence. Statement of the Problem Climate change has become a reality. It is more visible in arctic. The melting of ice in arctic could raise the sea levels. It will damage the environment also. But countries bordering the arctic are trying to divide arctic territories among them to exploit the natural resources there. This has resulted in a geopolitical competition. Partitioning arctic could result in environmental destruction. Research Questions 1. What is the international law regarding sovereignty of arctic territories? 2. What are the commercial opportunities created by the melting of ice in arctic? 3. What are the current environmental challenges in arctic due to climate change? Hypothesis The benefits of preserving and protecting arctic environment is more sustainable for humanity than the potential advantages of dividing arctic for exploitation of natural resources by bordering countries like USA, Russia, Norway, Canada and Greenland. Objectives The objectives of this study are the following. 1. To describe the environmental challenges in arctic due to climate change 2. To describe the new commercial opportunities for bordering countries of arctic like exploitation of oil and gas. 3. To explore the potential transportation routes linking arctic. 4. To identify possible solutions to deal with climate change. Audience The audience of this study is government officials and policy makers. The study will help policy makers while making decisions regarding climate change, global warming and Law of the Sea. The decisions taken by the government officials regarding the future of arctic will have great implications. If they decide to protect the arctic environment, that would be sustainable. If they decide to exploit arctic by using ice breakers etc, the consequences are unpredictable. Solutions 1. Create awareness among policy makers regarding the dangers of arctic ice melt so that they can make legislation to stop activities that causes danger to arctic environment. 2. Arctic should not be divided by bordering countries for exploitation of natural resources like oil and gas. 3. The possibility of division of arctic arose with the United Nations convention on the Law of the Sea. It shall be amended to make arctic an international territory. 4. Conduct studies for the causes of climate change in arctic and take measures to prevent it. 5. Constructing transportation routes via arctic endangers arctic environment. So, countries bordering arctic should stay away from developing such routes. Call for Action 75% of the earth is not possessed by anybody. It belongs to the humanity as a whole. The arctic also does not belong to any particular country now. However, efforts are now taking place to divide arctic. The bordering states are interested in partition and do not like to bring any comprehensive international legal regime to govern the Arctic Ocean as in the case of Antarctica. It is time for the global civil society to focus on arctic and to find satisfactory solution that is sustainable. The way the global community solves the Arctic issue will have great implications for future. Works Cited Freedman, Andrew. As Arctic Sea Ice Melt Season Ends, Sharp Downward Trend Continues. 1 October 2010. 19 April 2011 . Read More