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Iceland has not signed arctic treaty and has no territorial claim to the arctic,How
did they authorize this to the Chinese?? A Chinese trick?
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China's Wen in Iceland, eyes on Arctic riches
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did they authorize this to the Chinese?? A Chinese trick?
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LETHALFORCE
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Asia Times Online :: China, India enter heating-up Arctic race
China, India enter heating-up Arctic race
MUMBAI - The frozen world of the Arctic is warming up as a new frontier of the great power game for energy resources, with India, China and Japan seeking stakes in the ecologically and economically sensitive region.
The Asian powers have asked to be "permanent observers" in the Arctic Council of eight countries that have Arctic territory. But existing official members and direct Arctic stakeholders [1], including the United States and Russia, are not exactly jumping with joy about the idea.
The indigenous Arctic people though, like the Inuit, have said they have no objection to the Arctic Council being made more inclusive to the rest of the world, as long as the voice of the original inhabitants is not ignored. Recent scientific studies have established Asian ancestry of many of the Arctic tribes.
Canada, which will be the next Arctic Council chairman in 2013, heads the debate about admitting emerging powers like India, China and Brazil join the North Pole party. The issue was top of agenda at the two-day meeting of the Council on January 17 and 18. Over 15 nations participated in this second annual Munk-Gordon Arctic Security Conference at Toronto, Canada, to decide the future of the Arctic.
The debate, becoming more inevitable and louder, is whether to continue reserving the Arctic region for countries with Arctic territory, or to share its vast resources with the rest of the world.
The Arctic - the region that is the land of the midnight sun, home to the polar bear, headquarters of Santa Claus, and stage to the greatest light show on Earth - the spectacular Northern Lights or Aurora Borealis [2] - spreads across 21 million square kilometers (8.1 million square miles) of land and 13 million square kilometers of icy seas.
This northernmost part of Earth looms in 21st century importance as a vast buried treasure of oil, gas, coal and minerals such as zinc and silver, as a key region for studying global warming, and as significant gateway for maritime trade between Asia, Europe and North America. Arctic sea lanes reduce distances by thousands of kilometers.
In particular, two crucial routes could dramatically increase Arctic shipping from the current annual average of about 15,000 vessels:
Canada's Northwest Passage, north of Alaska, linking Japan to eastern Canada.
Russia's Northeast Passage, between Greenland and Russia, connecting China to Europe. Called the Russian Northern Sea Route, this oceanic shortcut lopes off thousands of kilometers between Europe and Asia, compared to sailing through the Panama Canal.
In August 2011, the Russian super tanker Vladimir Tikhonov, carrying a cargo of natural gas condensate from Murmansk to Thailand, became the largest vessel to complete the Northern Sea Route - which was both good and bad news. The Arctic ice melting to this extent to allow shipping meant a significantly shorter sea route, but it also meant an increase in global warming - and predicted disasters like excessive melting of polar ice causing global sea levels to rise and flood coastal cities worldwide.
If predictions of the Arctic being ice free in summer by year 2030 are accurate, the Northern Hemisphere sea lanes could gain in importance to match the Panama and Suez Canals. China is increasingly interested in the Arctic routes as they cut short hauling its exports to Europe by nearly half the distance, from 15,000 miles to about 8,000 miles.
Ironically, Russia - despite being part of the BRICS club of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa - is among the loudest protesters against expanding the Arctic Council to include fellow BRICS members.
Both India and China already have an Arctic presence, with research stations in Norway's northern Svalbard Archipelago. India's Arctic observatory - called the "Himadri" - in Sanskrit language, meaning snow-capped mountains of the Himalayas - is a three-year-old study station in New Aalesund, Spitsbergen. It is the largest research station in Norway's Svalbard archipelago or group of islands, which is located about 1,200 km from the North Pole.
Also in Spitsbergen, Svalbard, is the Chinese Arctic Yellow River Station that the Beijing-based Arctic and Antarctic Administration established in July 2004. The two-story building includes labs, office, lobby, storage facilities and a dormitory for about 25 scientists.
Besides the Indian and Chinese research stations, Svalbard also hosts Japanese, Norwegian, Dutch, German, British, French and Italian Arctic study stations [3].
The latest Indian expedition to the Arctic, from May 14 to June 8, 2011, had a five-member team from the National Institute of Oceanography and the National Center for Antarctic and Ocean Research (NCAOR) collecting data for climate change from the Kongsforden Fjord.
"The effects of climatic change are more prominently seen at Arctic," explained expedition chief scientist Dr Prasanna Kumar, "and therefore such studies are not only important to India but to the whole community on this planet".
The Indian expedition was part of global efforts to study the vicious circle of the decreasing glacier cover in the Arctic. The reduced ice reduces the Arctic capacity to absorb increasing carbon levels in the atmosphere, thereby adding to global warming; and the global warming in turn more quickly reduces the Arctic ice.
Environmental groups like Greenpeace and Arctic countries are concerned about pollution increasing from more sea traffic, particularly ships spewing out black carbon. Commercial activity will only grow with many other non-Arctic nations, including South Korea and the European Union, officially lining up for a share of the region's resources.
India is already an observer in the International Arctic Science Committee (IASC) based in Potsdam, Germany, which in turn holds observer status in the Arctic Council. Now India has applied to the IASC in its next meeting from 19 to 22 April in Montreal, Canada, to join China and Japan as full members [4].
While India's Arctic interests are currently more of a scientific nature, China's military has already expressed a strategic interest. "The Arctic belongs to all the people around the world as no nation has sovereignty over it," said then former Rear Admiral Yin Zhuo in 2010. Zhuo said China, being home to one-fifth of the world's population, was entitled to Arctic resources.
China is not wasting any time establishing its polar stakes. By 2015, China plans to launch three Arctic expeditions and five Antarctic research expeditions. China has also commissioned a new polar ice-breaker ship, its second after the Xuelong, or snow dragon.
Powerful ice-breaking ships are a key investment for countries having major interests in the Arctic and Antarctic oceans, as a necessity for all-year access through the ice. India is planning to build an icebreaker, reported Dinesh Sharma in the India Today news fortnightly.
The US has only working ice breaker the USCGC Healy, and the US Navy is pushing hard for upgrading its fleet in the Arctic. Testifying before the US Congress last December on protecting American interests in the Arctic, Rear Admiral Jeffrey M Garrett, US Coast Guard, said. "The Icebreaker fleet represents the main surface presence that the US can exert in what is essentially a maritime domain in the Arctic Ocean." Russia has a fleet of over 25 ice-breakers, including six nuclear-powered ones.
The choice before the US, Russia and other Arctic nations is whether inclusion of China, India and other countries in the literally global-warming Arctic race would mean: a) many hands making light work to unearth Arctic resources for benefit of all beings, or b) whether it would have too many cooks spoiling the Arctic broth.
China, India enter heating-up Arctic race
MUMBAI - The frozen world of the Arctic is warming up as a new frontier of the great power game for energy resources, with India, China and Japan seeking stakes in the ecologically and economically sensitive region.
The Asian powers have asked to be "permanent observers" in the Arctic Council of eight countries that have Arctic territory. But existing official members and direct Arctic stakeholders [1], including the United States and Russia, are not exactly jumping with joy about the idea.
The indigenous Arctic people though, like the Inuit, have said they have no objection to the Arctic Council being made more inclusive to the rest of the world, as long as the voice of the original inhabitants is not ignored. Recent scientific studies have established Asian ancestry of many of the Arctic tribes.
Canada, which will be the next Arctic Council chairman in 2013, heads the debate about admitting emerging powers like India, China and Brazil join the North Pole party. The issue was top of agenda at the two-day meeting of the Council on January 17 and 18. Over 15 nations participated in this second annual Munk-Gordon Arctic Security Conference at Toronto, Canada, to decide the future of the Arctic.
The debate, becoming more inevitable and louder, is whether to continue reserving the Arctic region for countries with Arctic territory, or to share its vast resources with the rest of the world.
The Arctic - the region that is the land of the midnight sun, home to the polar bear, headquarters of Santa Claus, and stage to the greatest light show on Earth - the spectacular Northern Lights or Aurora Borealis [2] - spreads across 21 million square kilometers (8.1 million square miles) of land and 13 million square kilometers of icy seas.
This northernmost part of Earth looms in 21st century importance as a vast buried treasure of oil, gas, coal and minerals such as zinc and silver, as a key region for studying global warming, and as significant gateway for maritime trade between Asia, Europe and North America. Arctic sea lanes reduce distances by thousands of kilometers.
In particular, two crucial routes could dramatically increase Arctic shipping from the current annual average of about 15,000 vessels:
Canada's Northwest Passage, north of Alaska, linking Japan to eastern Canada.
Russia's Northeast Passage, between Greenland and Russia, connecting China to Europe. Called the Russian Northern Sea Route, this oceanic shortcut lopes off thousands of kilometers between Europe and Asia, compared to sailing through the Panama Canal.
In August 2011, the Russian super tanker Vladimir Tikhonov, carrying a cargo of natural gas condensate from Murmansk to Thailand, became the largest vessel to complete the Northern Sea Route - which was both good and bad news. The Arctic ice melting to this extent to allow shipping meant a significantly shorter sea route, but it also meant an increase in global warming - and predicted disasters like excessive melting of polar ice causing global sea levels to rise and flood coastal cities worldwide.
If predictions of the Arctic being ice free in summer by year 2030 are accurate, the Northern Hemisphere sea lanes could gain in importance to match the Panama and Suez Canals. China is increasingly interested in the Arctic routes as they cut short hauling its exports to Europe by nearly half the distance, from 15,000 miles to about 8,000 miles.
Ironically, Russia - despite being part of the BRICS club of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa - is among the loudest protesters against expanding the Arctic Council to include fellow BRICS members.
Both India and China already have an Arctic presence, with research stations in Norway's northern Svalbard Archipelago. India's Arctic observatory - called the "Himadri" - in Sanskrit language, meaning snow-capped mountains of the Himalayas - is a three-year-old study station in New Aalesund, Spitsbergen. It is the largest research station in Norway's Svalbard archipelago or group of islands, which is located about 1,200 km from the North Pole.
Also in Spitsbergen, Svalbard, is the Chinese Arctic Yellow River Station that the Beijing-based Arctic and Antarctic Administration established in July 2004. The two-story building includes labs, office, lobby, storage facilities and a dormitory for about 25 scientists.
Besides the Indian and Chinese research stations, Svalbard also hosts Japanese, Norwegian, Dutch, German, British, French and Italian Arctic study stations [3].
The latest Indian expedition to the Arctic, from May 14 to June 8, 2011, had a five-member team from the National Institute of Oceanography and the National Center for Antarctic and Ocean Research (NCAOR) collecting data for climate change from the Kongsforden Fjord.
"The effects of climatic change are more prominently seen at Arctic," explained expedition chief scientist Dr Prasanna Kumar, "and therefore such studies are not only important to India but to the whole community on this planet".
The Indian expedition was part of global efforts to study the vicious circle of the decreasing glacier cover in the Arctic. The reduced ice reduces the Arctic capacity to absorb increasing carbon levels in the atmosphere, thereby adding to global warming; and the global warming in turn more quickly reduces the Arctic ice.
Environmental groups like Greenpeace and Arctic countries are concerned about pollution increasing from more sea traffic, particularly ships spewing out black carbon. Commercial activity will only grow with many other non-Arctic nations, including South Korea and the European Union, officially lining up for a share of the region's resources.
India is already an observer in the International Arctic Science Committee (IASC) based in Potsdam, Germany, which in turn holds observer status in the Arctic Council. Now India has applied to the IASC in its next meeting from 19 to 22 April in Montreal, Canada, to join China and Japan as full members [4].
While India's Arctic interests are currently more of a scientific nature, China's military has already expressed a strategic interest. "The Arctic belongs to all the people around the world as no nation has sovereignty over it," said then former Rear Admiral Yin Zhuo in 2010. Zhuo said China, being home to one-fifth of the world's population, was entitled to Arctic resources.
China is not wasting any time establishing its polar stakes. By 2015, China plans to launch three Arctic expeditions and five Antarctic research expeditions. China has also commissioned a new polar ice-breaker ship, its second after the Xuelong, or snow dragon.
Powerful ice-breaking ships are a key investment for countries having major interests in the Arctic and Antarctic oceans, as a necessity for all-year access through the ice. India is planning to build an icebreaker, reported Dinesh Sharma in the India Today news fortnightly.
The US has only working ice breaker the USCGC Healy, and the US Navy is pushing hard for upgrading its fleet in the Arctic. Testifying before the US Congress last December on protecting American interests in the Arctic, Rear Admiral Jeffrey M Garrett, US Coast Guard, said. "The Icebreaker fleet represents the main surface presence that the US can exert in what is essentially a maritime domain in the Arctic Ocean." Russia has a fleet of over 25 ice-breakers, including six nuclear-powered ones.
The choice before the US, Russia and other Arctic nations is whether inclusion of China, India and other countries in the literally global-warming Arctic race would mean: a) many hands making light work to unearth Arctic resources for benefit of all beings, or b) whether it would have too many cooks spoiling the Arctic broth.
pmaitra
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Russia is ready to gobble up this region!
Yamal, Russian Nuclear Ice-Breaker, originally intended to keep the frozen sea lanes in the North open, is regularly used for expeditions to the North Pole.
50 Years of Victory, another Russian Nuclear Ice-Breaker, originally intended to keep the frozen sea lanes in the North open, is also regularly used for expeditions to the North Pole.
News article: BBC NEWS | Europe | Russia plants flag under N Pole
Yamal, Russian Nuclear Ice-Breaker, originally intended to keep the frozen sea lanes in the North open, is regularly used for expeditions to the North Pole.
50 Years of Victory, another Russian Nuclear Ice-Breaker, originally intended to keep the frozen sea lanes in the North open, is also regularly used for expeditions to the North Pole.
|
|
| The Mir-I is one of two Russian craft that dived to the Arctic floor | The Mir-I planting a flag on the Arctic floor |
News article: BBC NEWS | Europe | Russia plants flag under N Pole
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India goes to the Arctic | Russia & India Report
India goes to the Arctic
The Arctic exploration has become a priority program for India to strengthen the economic and political positions of the country in this region. India still doesn't have sufficient capabilities for such large-scale projects, but it is dedicated to secure a footing in the Arctic with the assistance of its partners. In a distant future we may expect the return of Indians to their historical motherland (the majority of scientists believe that three and a half thousand years ago Aryans came to India from the Arctic).
The Arctic studies in India date back to 1981 when the Department of Ocean Studies was established by the initiative of Prime-Minister Indira Gandhi and then a program of the Arctic research was elaborated [1]. Geography predetermined the priority of the Arctic and not Antarctic studies. The interest to the first one is relatively new and stems directly from the strengthening of political, economic and scientific positions of the Asian giant.
The Arctic is of a three-fold interest for India – environmental protection, economy and policy.
India, in fact, faces all major global economic issues. The interest to the Polar region is determined by the need to study such a global phenomenon as the climate change. Research made by Indian experts shows that by the end of XXI century the average temperature of the planet shall go up by 3-6 degrees with the maximum increase in Northern India. The only positive outcome of this research is the seasonal effect – the maximum temperature increase falls on winter and September-October [2] (if the warming fell on May, when the temperature in Northern India even today reaches 50°C – a terrible cataclysm might happen). Delhi also worries about the melting of the Arctic ice that sharply accelerated recently. The Indian scientists think that this phenomenon may hinder the absorption of carbon dioxide and as a consequence speed up the global warming [3]. Sea level rise due to the melting of glaciers may cause the flooding of a considerable part of India [4] disturbing the living of more than 100m Indians.
All the above resulted in a rapid intensification of Indian scientific research in the Arctic. India, still being a member of the British Empire, joined the Spitsbergen Treaty (1920) that defined the international and legal status of the archipelago. At the beginning of XXI century the Department of Ocean Development negotiated and signed a special program of Arctic studies with Norwegian Polar Institute. In August 2007 the Norwegian part of the archipelago was visited by the first Indian scientific expedition headed by the Director of the National Centre for Antarctic and Ocean Research [5]. Since that time India has been sending to the Arctic 3-4 scientific expeditions per year and in July 2008 "Himadri" research station was officially opened at Ny-Alesund on the Spitsbergen. In 2012 Indian scientists expect to get a special research vessel [7].
Scientific potential of India allows believing that the country is able to conduct the Arctic research at the world level standards. Already in 1973 Eugene Garfield, the developer of Science Citation Index, noted that India's contribution into science equals to the aggregated contribution of all other developing countries [8]. The current role of India is not so significant due to the rise of China and new industrial economies and due to the shift from science to hi-tech development that happened in mid 1980- ies. In 2006 the country was ranking 13-th in the global science (though India still is the 8-th in physics going after the USA, China, Japan, Germany, France, UK and Russia [9]).
India goes to the Arctic
The Arctic exploration has become a priority program for India to strengthen the economic and political positions of the country in this region. India still doesn't have sufficient capabilities for such large-scale projects, but it is dedicated to secure a footing in the Arctic with the assistance of its partners. In a distant future we may expect the return of Indians to their historical motherland (the majority of scientists believe that three and a half thousand years ago Aryans came to India from the Arctic).
The Arctic studies in India date back to 1981 when the Department of Ocean Studies was established by the initiative of Prime-Minister Indira Gandhi and then a program of the Arctic research was elaborated [1]. Geography predetermined the priority of the Arctic and not Antarctic studies. The interest to the first one is relatively new and stems directly from the strengthening of political, economic and scientific positions of the Asian giant.
The Arctic is of a three-fold interest for India – environmental protection, economy and policy.
India, in fact, faces all major global economic issues. The interest to the Polar region is determined by the need to study such a global phenomenon as the climate change. Research made by Indian experts shows that by the end of XXI century the average temperature of the planet shall go up by 3-6 degrees with the maximum increase in Northern India. The only positive outcome of this research is the seasonal effect – the maximum temperature increase falls on winter and September-October [2] (if the warming fell on May, when the temperature in Northern India even today reaches 50°C – a terrible cataclysm might happen). Delhi also worries about the melting of the Arctic ice that sharply accelerated recently. The Indian scientists think that this phenomenon may hinder the absorption of carbon dioxide and as a consequence speed up the global warming [3]. Sea level rise due to the melting of glaciers may cause the flooding of a considerable part of India [4] disturbing the living of more than 100m Indians.
All the above resulted in a rapid intensification of Indian scientific research in the Arctic. India, still being a member of the British Empire, joined the Spitsbergen Treaty (1920) that defined the international and legal status of the archipelago. At the beginning of XXI century the Department of Ocean Development negotiated and signed a special program of Arctic studies with Norwegian Polar Institute. In August 2007 the Norwegian part of the archipelago was visited by the first Indian scientific expedition headed by the Director of the National Centre for Antarctic and Ocean Research [5]. Since that time India has been sending to the Arctic 3-4 scientific expeditions per year and in July 2008 "Himadri" research station was officially opened at Ny-Alesund on the Spitsbergen. In 2012 Indian scientists expect to get a special research vessel [7].
Scientific potential of India allows believing that the country is able to conduct the Arctic research at the world level standards. Already in 1973 Eugene Garfield, the developer of Science Citation Index, noted that India's contribution into science equals to the aggregated contribution of all other developing countries [8]. The current role of India is not so significant due to the rise of China and new industrial economies and due to the shift from science to hi-tech development that happened in mid 1980- ies. In 2006 the country was ranking 13-th in the global science (though India still is the 8-th in physics going after the USA, China, Japan, Germany, France, UK and Russia [9]).
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seems like we have been working with Russians for awhile there
Yamal, Russian Nuclear Ice-Breaker, originally intended to keep the frozen sea lanes in the North open, is regularly used for expeditions to the North Pole.
50 Years of Victory, another Russian Nuclear Ice-Breaker, originally intended to keep the frozen sea lanes in the North open, is also regularly used for expeditions to the North Pole.
The Mir-I is one of two Russian craft that dived to the Arctic floor The Mir-I planting a flag on the Arctic floor
News article: BBC NEWS | Europe | Russia plants flag under N Pole
http://www.protect-the-arctic.com/india-to-bid-for-share-in-russias-arctic-oil-reserves/
India to Bid for Share in Russia's Arctic Oil Reserves
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pmaitra
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Seems like it.
Russia, due to its geographical proximity, will dominate the arctic. Comparing other peripheral countries, Scandinaivan states, Iceland, Greenland (Denmark) or Canada, Russia has the technology, wherewithal and political will to muscle it out.
Here is a nice article: The Russian Bear dominates the Arctic - Opinion - Al Jazeera English
Russia has always had good relations with Finland, save for the border conflict long time back. The USSR also cooperated and went on a joint venture with Finland for supplying submersibles. Here is an article: Mir (submersible) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Russia has also cooperated with Australia and Sweden in the Arktika 2007 mission. Here is an article: Arktika 2007 - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Now, I believe, Russia is also interested in involving India. India needs energy, and can also finance or part-finance many expeditions.
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Only Scandinavian state which may have a recognized claim to arctic is Denmark. Russians have been
flying bombers over the arctic and recently USA also started.
http://en.rian.ru/mlitary_news/20100120/157622289.html
Russian bombers complete Arctic patrol mission
http://blogs.ottawacitizen.com/2012...lies-over-north-pole-to-test-flight-upgrades/
B-2 Stealth Bomber Flies Over North Pole to Test Flight Upgrades
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pmaitra
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In any event, PRC is a major troll. It wants to poke its nose where it does not belong. Unfortunately, some of these Scandinavian countries might just fall for the Chinese bait, take their money, and give them access. PRC needs to be kept out, and I think India should finance more expeditions jointly with Russia and exploit the energy in those regions. If Russia can be convinced to take on those Chinese funded Scandinavians, it would greatly benefit India. Russia already signed a treaty with Norway, so not issues there. Finland could be roped in as a partner in exploration. The rest need to be gives the carrot-and-stick policy.
pmaitra
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Denmark has 'no right,' by virtue of geography, over the arctic per se. It is only because they colonized Greenland, that they get this claim. However, Greenland cannot be denied their right, and that always allows Denmark the technical alibi to claim a stake in the Arctic.
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Scandanivians don't have the military power to do much in the arctic, it will be dominated by
Russians,Canadians and Americans how Scandinavians will try to squeeze their claim is going
to be interesting and probably frustrating.
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Do they have the muscle to stake their claim? That is why they are doing a pak move
by getting China involved but that won't work either.Canadians claim the Greenland
claim by Denmark stake of the Arctic is debateable and USA agrees.
http://www.canada.com/topics/news/national/story.html?id=1809069a-0ac8-406a-ae00-ac49ca94e8ab
Greenland premier snubs Canada's claim to Hans Island
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GUess you have never heard about NATO.
Ignorance is abliss, i guess.
