Arctic ownership and sustainability issues
The Arctic is divided among countries like Canada, Denmark through Greenland, Finland, Iceland, Norway, Russia, Sweden, and the USA through Alaska. All these countries have coastlines in the Arctic Ocean.
They can claim an Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) extending up to 200 nautical miles from their shores according to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (Unclos). The ongoing conflict goes beyond these 200 nautical miles and is entangled in aspects of the seabed and resources beneath the Arctic Ocean.
The Arctic consists of the Arctic Ocean, which is surrounded by land and is approximately 14.5 million square kilometers. The region has a vast tundra, permafrost, glaciers, sea ice, and a unique ecosystem.
The Arctic region holds both reserves of promise and peril. It is estimated that 13% of undiscovered oil, 30% of the earth's undiscovered gas, and minerals like zinc and nickel offer an opportunity for resource exploitation despite the Paris Agreement of the 1.5 °C goal.
The ownership struggle for the Arctic is multi-layered and complicated, with national security issues, resource rights, and geopolitical influence. Russia has invested heavily in Arctic militarisation. Meanwhile, Norway has approved the development of 19 new oil and gas fields, investing over $18.5 billion to extend fossil fuel production despite its public climate commitments.
The Arctic region is shared and contested, with no single owner, but a deep tapestry of national jurisdiction and unresolved international claims. This escalating claim and dispute among nations for the ownership of the Arctic is critical because unprecedented climate change, geopolitical competition, and unregulated commercialisation pose an alarming threat to global ecosystem stability and cast a shadow of uncertainty on the existence of indigenous communities. The Arctic is warming up two to four times faster than the worldwide average. This is causing an unprecedented ice melt.
The Arctic region acts as the Earth's refrigerator. It helps by cooling the planet and reflecting sunlight with ice and snow. Rapid warming of the Arctic region could disrupt the polar vortex, the key atmospheric system, creating extreme weather changes worldwide.
Permafrost thawing can release more carbon, damage infrastructure, and destabilise the landscape. Most of these environmental changes are irreversible within the human time scale, making it urgent. Increasing shipping, oil and gas extraction, and mining could exacerbate the situation.
Suppose the commercialisation of the Arctic is not stopped. It could result in environmental degradation, which will lead to an ecological debacle with catastrophic ramifications, such as the risk of irreversible oil spills, noise pollution, release of toxins, an increase in sea level, extreme weather, and destabilisation of global weather patterns.
This could disrupt the livelihood of local indigenous communities. It could also lead to food insecurity and fear of encroachment in their habitat.
The Arctic region remains fluid and fragile, with unresolved political and legal issues further exacerbated by climate change. More awareness must be created about protecting the Arctic, as it plays a key role in global climate stability—the Arctic's fragile ecosystem demands urgent collective action to prevent its commercialisation and militarisation.
We should not allow short-term profits to take precedence over immediate health and ecological safety as a society. It is our responsibility to preserve this region for the sustainability of future generations.
Dr Mythili Kolluru
The writer is an assistant professor at the marketing and management department of the College of Banking and Financial Studies in Muscat.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Times of Oman
18 hours ago
- Times of Oman
Radically improve ease of doing business, unleash power of tourism as forex engine: Anand Mahindra
New Delhi: Mahindra Group Chairman Anand Mahindra on Wednesday outlined two "strong steps" India can take in order to turn around US President Donald Trump's recent announcement of additional 25 per cent tariffs on Indian imports into an opportunity for growth. In a post on X, Mahindra emphasised that India could seize this moment to create the "most intentional and transformative" situation from the ongoing global tariff disruptions, while comparing it to the likes of the economic reforms in India triggered by the 1991 forex reserves crisis. "The 'law of unintended consequences' seems to be operating stealthily in the prevailing tariff war unleashed by the US," he said in a post on X, and pointed to examples from Europe and Canada, where global trade friction has inadvertently led to economic and structural reforms that strengthen growth and urged India to shape its own positive outcomes from the situation proactively. He suggested "two strong steps," calling for "radically improve" ease of doing business and "unleash the power of tourism as a forex engine" to counter the US tariffs. He called for radically improving the ease of doing business through a genuinely effective single-window clearance system for all investment proposals and accelerating tourism by simplifying visa processing, enhancing tourist facilitation, and creating dedicated tourism corridors with assured security, sanitation, and hygiene. "Two strong steps we can take today are: 1. Radically Improve Ease of Doing Business --India must go beyond incremental reform and create a genuinely effective single-window clearance system for all investment proposals. --While states control many investment regulations, we can begin with a coalition of willing states aligning with a national single-window platform. --If we demonstrate speed, simplicity, and predictability, we can make India an irresistible destination for global capital in a world seeking trusted partners," his post read. "Unleash the Power of Tourism as a Forex Engine --Tourism is one of the most underexploited sources of foreign exchange and employment. -- We need to dramatically accelerate visa processing, improve tourist facilitation, and build dedicated tourism corridors around existing hotspots, offering assured security, sanitation, and hygiene. These corridors can serve as models of excellence, encouraging other regions to emulate and raise national standards," it added. Mahindra also highlighted that these steps could make India an irresistible destination for global capital while simultaneously generating foreign exchange and employment through tourism and further recommended complementary measures such as providing liquidity and support to MSMEs, accelerating infrastructure investment, promoting manufacturing through expanded production-linked incentive (PLI) schemes, and rationalising import duties to enhance competitiveness. "And a broader action agenda to build on these pillars: Liquidity & Support for MSMEs; Infrastructure Investment acceleration; A Manufacturing Push, via enhancement and expansion of the scope of PLI schemes; Rationalise import duties so that duty on manufacturing inputs are lowered and assist in improving our competitiveness. Let the unintended consequences we create be the most intentional and transformative ones of all," he stated. He also stressed that while other nations prioritise their own interests, India should be motivated to strengthen and grow its economy. "Let the unintended consequences we create be the most intentional and transformative ones of all. We cannot fault others for putting their nations first. But we should be moved to make our own nation greater than ever," Mahindra Group Chairman ended. Earlier, terming the United States' move to impose additional tariffs on India over its oil imports from Russia as "unfair, unjustified and unreasonable," the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on Wednesday declared that New Delhi will take "all actions necessary to protect its national interests. "In an official statement, the MEA said, "The United States has in recent days targeted India's oil imports from Russia. We have already made clear our position on these issues, including the fact that our imports are based on market factors and done with the overall objective of ensuring the energy security of 1.4 billion people of India." "It is therefore extremely unfortunate that the US should choose to impose additional tariffs on India for actions that several other countries are also taking in their own national interest," the statement added. "We reiterate that these actions are unfair, unjustified and unreasonable. India will take all actions necessary to protect its national interests," the MEA stressed. Earlier, US President Donald Trump signed an Executive Order imposing an additional 25 per cent tariff on imports from India in response to New Delhi's purchase of Russian oil. According to the order issued by the White House, Trump cited matters of national security and foreign policy concerns, as well as other relevant trade laws, for the increase, claiming that India's imports of Russian oil, directly or indirectly, pose an "unusual and extraordinary threat" to the United States. After the order, the total tariff on Indian goods will be 50 per cent. While the initial duty comes into effect on August 7, the additional levy will come into effect after 21 days and will be imposed on all Indian goods imported into the US, except for goods already in transit or those meeting specific exemptions. "Accordingly, and as consistent with applicable law, articles of India imported into the customs territory of the United States shall be subject to an additional ad valorem rate of duty of 25 per cent," the order stated. "This rate of duty shall be effective with respect to goods entered for consumption, or withdrawn from warehouse for consumption, on or after 12:01 a.m. eastern daylight time 21 days after the date of this order, except for goods that (1) were loaded onto a vessel at the port of loading and in transit on the final mode of transit prior to entry into the United States before 12:01 a.m. eastern daylight time 21 days after the date of this order," the order added.
Times of Oman
2 days ago
- Times of Oman
Oman, Mongolia explore opportunities for establishing partnerships in vital sectors
Ulaanbaatar: Abdulsalam Mohammed Al Murshidi, Chairman of Oman Investment Authority (OIA), on Tuesday held a meeting in Ulaanbaatar with Battsetseg Batmunkh, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Mongolia. During the meeting, Al Murshidi and Batmunkh affirmed the depth of relations between the Sultanate of Oman and the Republic of Mongolia. They discussed ways to enhance bilateral cooperation, notably in economic and investment fields. The meeting also touched on opportunities for establishing partnerships in vital sectors. The two sides exchanged views about appropriate mechanisms for improving coordination and expanding cooperation in the near future.
Times of Oman
4 days ago
- Times of Oman
GCC total GDP at constant prices exceeds $456 billion
Muscat: The gross domestic product (GDP) at constant prices for the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries rose by 3.3% by the end of the fourth quarter of 2024, reaching $456.3 billion, compared to $442.3 billion during the same period in 2023. The latest statistics released by the GCC Statistical Centre showed that non-oil activities contributed 70.6% to the GCC's GDP at constant prices by the end of the fourth quarter of 2024, while oil activities accounted for 29.4%. The GCC GDP at constant prices recorded a 1% growth in the fourth quarter of 2024, having registered $452.2 billion in the third quarter.
