The Arctic region is experiencing rapid change along multiple fronts: the opening of new maritime trade routes, the region’s vulnerability to climate change and environmental degradation, its enormous natural resources, and the extractive industries vying for them, as well as, most importantly, its status as a new geopolitical theatre. Years before the High North became a crucial geopolitical and geoeconomic arena, geoscientists were the first to recognise that ‘what happens in the Arctic does not stay in the Arctic’. This phenomenon, known to scientists as ‘teleconnections,’ is showcasing increasingly wide-scale ramifications, including in tropical and equatorial countries that previously had no stake in Arctic affairs. With the Arctic poised to experience a surge in economic activity, these teleconnections are likely to become the cornerstone of international relations.
The Arctic at a Crossroads: The Making of a New Frontier brings together scholars from various Arctic and non-Arctic countries to present realistic observations and their vision and recommendations for the region. Their expertise spans climate sciences, area studies, international relations, sustainable and clean energy, ocean and maritime studies, and science and policy studies related to the polar regions.
A common understanding that emerges from the essays in this compendium is the equal role of Global North and South countries in ensuring that economic progress in the Arctic is carried out with stringent environmental and climate action measures, while protecting the welfare of native Arctic communities and their cultures. For that to happen, all possible mechanisms to promote and ensure international consensus must be put into motion. For comprehensive and holistic progress in the Arctic, there is now a need for the scientific exploration of environmental and climatic changes, for which Arctic science cooperation must be significantly enhanced. Similarly, economic activities cannot prevail without considering sustainable measures, such as using clean energy and fuels, pursuing net-zero policies, and preventing the pollution of permafrost, glaciers, lakes, the Arctic Ocean, and the region’s air (primarily from greenhouse gases, black carbon, and other particulate matter). These factors must determine the evolution of geoeconomics and geopolitics in the Arctic.
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Contents
Foreword
Editors’ Note
The Arctic Alarm: Climate Signals from the North
1. Embracing the Interconnected World to Protect the Future - Uma Bhatt
2. The ‘Global Arctic’ and Climate Change: The Asia Factor - Irina Strelnikova
3. Climate Signals, Global Governance, and the Arctic - Shailly Kedia and Abhilash Kolekar
4. The Arctic Meltdown and the Third Pole Hindukush Himalaya: Interdependent Drivers of the Planetary Climate System - Kamrul Hossain
5. Arctic Teleconnections: Why India Cannot Ignore the Far North - Zerin Osho
The Arctic Laboratory: Unlocking Opportunities of Science
6. Development Through Science: The Arctic’s Global Endowment - Mikatekiso Kubayi
7. A Shifting Line of Arctic Abundance - Sulagna Chattopadhyay
8. Integrating Science into Arctic Economic Development - Alexandra Middleton
9. Transforming the Laboratory: Making the Case for Systemic Arctic Regional Studies - Corine Wood-Donnelly
10. Russia’s Arctic Science Cooperation with Non-Arctic Countries: The Case of India - Maria Lagutina
The Arctic Opportunity: New Business Pathways
11. Beyond Commerce: Unpacking China's Arctic Ambitions - Nima Khorrami
12. The Northern Sea Route: Prospects for Future Development and Russian Interests - Pavel Gudev
13. India in the Arctic: Priorities for Deeper Engagement - Monty Khanna
14. Adopting Hydrogen-Based Connectivity to Meet the Arctic’s Net-Zero Target - Chaitanya Giri and Sayantan Haldar
15. Japan’s Evolving Role in Arctic Governance, Science, and Sustainable Development - Sakiko Hataya
Geopolitics in the Arctic: An Emerging Great Game
16. All Eyes on the Arctic: A Look Beyond the Headlines - Jennifer Spence
17. Nordic Perspectives on Arctic Security - Andreas Østhagen and Andreas Raspotnik
18. The Indo-Asia-Pacific’s Arctic Agenda - Elizabeth Buchanan
19. The Arctic Pivot: Hyperborean Spatial Politics Writ Large - Christopher R. Rossi