Context: Accelerated melting of the Arctic sea ice is redrawing global trade maps, giving rise to a new trade route called the Northern Sea Route (NSR), the shortest route between Europe and Asia. For India, this presents both strategic opportunities and complex geopolitical challenges.
Relevance of the Topic: Mains: India’s engagement with the Arctic.
Potential of the Arctic Region
The Arctic is warming nearly four times faster than the global average. According to NASA, the September sea ice in the Arctic is shrinking at 12.2% per decade (1981–2010 average). This has opened up a new trade route called the Northern Sea Route (NSR).
- Northern Sea Route: A navigable sea route between the Atlantic and the Pacific via Russia’s Arctic coast. It is being hailed as the shortest route between Europe and Asia. The rise in cargo throughput on the NSR from just 41,000 tonnes in 2010 to nearly 37.9 million tonnes in 2024 reflects its strategic importance.
- Resource potential: Arctic holds an estimated 13% of the world’s undiscovered oil and 30% of undiscovered natural gas. It also has untapped reserves of coal, rare earth elements, phosphates, and copper as well as lucrative fishing grounds. It further signifies its importance for energy deficit countries worldwide, including for India.
India’s Arctic Engagement:
- India began its engagement with the Arctic in 1920 by signing the Svalbard Treaty. Recognises sovereignty of Norway over Svalbard archipelago.
- India has been a permanent observer in the Arctic Council since 2013. Arctic Council is a high-level intergovernmental forum that addresses issues faced by the Arctic governments and Indigenous people of the Arctic.
- India’s Arctic Policy (2022) focuses on six pillars:
- Strengthening India's scientific research and cooperation.
- Climate and environment protection.
- Economic and human development.
- Transportation and connectivity.
- Governance and international cooperation.
- National capability building for the Arctic region.
- India's first Arctic research station, Himadri is located at Spitsbergen, Svalbard, Norway. India is the only developing nation besides China that has an Arctic research base.
- India’s $3 billion Maritime Development Fund (Budget 2025-26) promotes Arctic-ready shipbuilding and port infrastructure, critical for NSR navigation.
- National Centre for Polar and Ocean Research (NCPOR), Goa, an autonomous institute under Ministry of Earth Sciences is the nodal institution for India's Polar research program, which includes Arctic studies.
Challenges
- India faces a critical question on how to pursue Arctic opportunities without accelerating climate catastrophe. Loss of Arctic ice disrupts atmospheric circulation, affecting South Asian monsoon patterns. This has direct consequences on agricultural productivity, food security, and rural livelihoods in India.
- India faces geopolitical complexity in accessing the Northern Sea Route (NSR) and engaging with the Arctic, where strategic alignments are fraught with rivalries between major powers particularly between Russia, China, and the West.
Way Forward
India must adopt a strategic, balanced, and climate-conscious Arctic approach where India:
- Maintain functional ties with Russia for Arctic access without endorsing China's broader polar ambitions. India and Russia have initiated a working group on the Northern Sea Route (NSR), and the Chennai–Vladivostok Maritime Corridor links directly to key Arctic ports.
- Engage the U.S., EU, Japan, and South Korea for sustainable and rules-based Arctic frameworks.
- Pursue minilateral partnerships (India–Japan–South Korea) to present a moderate Asian voice on Arctic governance that is independent of both China-Russia and U.S.-EU axes.
- India must advocate sustainable Arctic exploration, green shipping technology, and inclusive Arctic governance.
Also Read: https://compass.rauias.com/current-affairs/rising-geopolitical-conflicts-arctic-region/
India must leverage platforms like the Arctic Circle India Forum 2025 not just for policy articulation, but for forging meaningful partnerships, advancing polar research, and advocating equitable representation of Global South voices in Arctic affairs.