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Mahesh

27/11/22 07:14 AM IST

Russia’s ‘Arctic power’ with launch of nuclear icebreakers

In News 
  • Recently, Russia touted its Arctic power at a flag-raising ceremony and dock launch for two nuclear-powered icebreakers that will ensure year-round navigation in the Western Arctic.
Significance 
  • For Russia, it is essential to study and develop the Arctic, to ensure safe, sustainable navigation in this region, and to increase traffic along the northern sea route.
  • The development of this most important transport corridor will allow Russia to more fully unlock its export potential and establish efficient logistics routes, including to South East Asia.
  • For Russia, the opening of the Northern Sea Route will cut down time to reach Asia by up to two weeks compared to the current route via the Suez Canal.
  • The Arctic region has rich deposits of coal, gypsum and diamonds and also substantial reserves of zinc, lead, placer gold and quartz. Greenland alone possesses about a quarter of the world's rare earth reserves.
  • The Arctic already supplies the world with roughly 10% of its oil and 25% of its natural gas, mostly from onshore sources. It is also estimated to hold 22% of the Earth’s undiscovered oil and natural gas reserves.
  • The Arctic helps circulate the world's ocean currents, moving cold and warm water around the globe.
Environmental Significance 
  • The Arctic and the Himalayas, though geographically distant, are interconnected and share similar concerns.
  • The Arctic meltdown is helping the scientific community to better understand the glacial melt in the Himalayas, which has often been referred to as the ‘third pole’ and has the largest freshwater reserves after the North and South poles.
About Arctic
  • The Arctic is a polar region located at the northernmost part of Earth.
  • Land within the Arctic region has seasonally varying snow and ice cover.
  • It consists of the Arctic Ocean, adjacent seas, and parts of Alaska (United States), Canada, Finland, Greenland (Denmark), Iceland, Norway, Russia, and Sweden.
India and Arctic 
  • In March 2022, India unveiled its first Arctic policy titled: ‘India and the Arctic: building a partnership for sustainable development’.
  • India is also one of the 13 Observers in the Arctic Council, the leading intergovernmental forum promoting cooperation in the Arctic.
  • The Arctic Council is an intergovernmental body that promotes research and facilitates cooperation among Arctic countries on issues related to the environmental protection and sustainable development of the Arctic region.
Source- Indian Express 

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