DG, IDSA, Dr. Arvind Gupta’s article on Importance of Arctic Region, titled ‘Importance of Arctic Region’ was published in The Indian Express on June 28, 2012.
One of the most dramatic effects of global warming is seen in the Arctic region. In recent years the ice in the Arctic Sea has been melting rapidly. In 2007, a large part of the Arctic Sea became ice free in summer months for the first time in living history. The Arctic region is experiencing warming at twice the rate of global average. The melting of the ice in the Arctic Sea has had two major geopolitical impacts. One, new shipping routes between the Atlantic Ocean in the west and the Pacific Ocean in the East, linking Europe with Asia in the north, have opened up. These consist of the Northern Sea Route (NSR) and the North West passage.