India’s fight against climate change: Arctic Policy unveiled
Climate change is real! Joining the other countries in fight against the global crisis of climate change, the Government of India on Thursday unveiled the Arctic Policy of India. With this, India has reiterated the cooperation with the resource-rich Arctic region that is rapidly transforming. The Arctic Policy aims to combat globally concerning climate change and protect the region’s environment which is alarmingly warming three times faster than other parts of the world.
The policy was released by Earth Sciences Minister Jitendra Singh. ““India’s Arctic policy will play an essential role in preparing the country for a future where humankind’s biggest challenges, such as climate change, can be addressed through collective will and effort,” said Jitendra Singh, minister of earth sciences, while releasing the policy.
The Arctic Policy of India is titled ‘India and the Arctic: building a partnership for sustainable development, and is built on six pillars – science and research, climate and environmental protection, economic and human development, transportation and connectivity, governance and international cooperation, and finally, national capacity building.
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The policy has objectives of “strengthening national capabilities and competencies in arena of science and exploration, climate and environment protection, use of mineral wealth and maritime and economic cooperation with the Arctic region”. Under the policy, India plans to study the climate change impact in the Arctic region in order to further improve the response in this direction from across the world. Furthermore, the policy seeks to offer an upgraded and efficient analysis of consequences of thawing of ice in the region and further implications on shipping routes, energy security and mineral wealth exploitation.
“Implementing policy will involve multiple stakeholders, including academia, the research community, business and industry,” said the ministry in a statement.
India is one of the 13 countries that are observers in the Arctic Council. These countries include France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Netherlands, China, Poland, South Korea, Spain, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom.
