ARCTIC SEA ROUTE

Background:

• Sailors have for centuries sought a navigable Northwest Passage between Atlantic and Pacific oceans that crosses the Arctic as it is a shorter and a faster route.
  
  
• But Historically, thick ice made the journey impossible. Specialised ice-breaking vessels made the trip plausible, but that was very expensive. Also that too was possible only during the summer, when the ice was thinnest.
  
  
• But rapid climate changes to the climate have altered the region’s ice, making the trip possible.
  
  

Increasing importance of Arctic in world affairs due to Climate Change:

• Arctic region is increasingly being effected by external global forces - environmental, commercial and strategic.
  
  
• Current scientific consensus indicates the Arctic may experience nearly ice free summers as early as 2030’s opening up enormous opportunities as well as challenges not only for the littoral states but also the international community as a whole.
  
  
• The attraction of Arctic oil and gas reserves, unexploited marine living resources and shorter shipping routes connecting the Pacific and the Atlantic Oceans is undeniable.
  
  
• But the adversarial impact of melting Arctic Ice cap on the indigenous communities, the marine ecosystems and aggravation of global warming is equally undeniable.