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Arctic: A Paradox and Antithesis

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Book cover Asia and the Arctic

Part of the book series: Springer Geology ((SPRINGERGEOL))

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Abstract

In an interconnected world with interlinked issues, observing the geophysical changes is critical. The Arctic is witnessing the convergence and interplay of the geophysical, the geoeconomics and the geopolitical in dramatic ways making it a paradox and an antithesis.

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References

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  38. In the latter part of the twentieth century, the term ‘commons’ has expanded to include intangible resources such as the internet, open-source software, and many aspects of culture. The term ‘global commons’ is more recent and has several meanings: those resources that are shared by all of humanity, such as the sky, the oceans, or even the planet itself; the sum of various local and regional commons across the world; and a philosophical position suggesting that humankind has both a right and a responsibility to steward the wise use of the earth for all living species, as well as for future generations. See United Nations Institute of Training and Research, ‘Introductory e-Course to the Global Commons’, at http://www.unitar.org/event/introductory-e-course on global common. Explained in Cited in Uttam Kumar Sinha, ‘Interlocking challenges: EU-India convergence on climate change’, in Luis Peral and Vijay Sakhuja (Eds.), The EU-India partnership: time to go strategic?, Paris: EU-ISS, 2012, p. 158.

  39. The concept of the common heritage of mankind was first articulated in 1970, when the UN General Assembly adopted a Declaration of Principles governing the seabed and ocean floor. Now this concept includes outer space, the legal status of lunar minerals, geostationary orbit, radio frequencies used in space communication, solar energy, low earth orbits and Lagrange points, the internet, etc. The Arctic according to non-Arctic Asian countries is rightly called the ‘common heritage of mankind’. See, Col PK Gautam, ‘The Arctic as a Global Commons’, IDSA Issue Brief, 2 September 2011, at http://www.idsa.in/system/files/IB_ArcticasaGlobalCommon.pdf. Cited in Cited in Uttam Kumar Sinha, ‘Interlocking challenges: EU-India convergence on climate change’, in Luis Peral and Vijay Sakhuja (Eds.), The EU-India partnership: time to go strategic?, Paris: EU-ISS, 2012, p. 157.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses (IDSA), No. 1, Development Enclave Rao Tula Ram Marg, New Delhi, 110010, India

    Uttam Kumar Sinha

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. National Maritime Foundation, Director National Maritime Foundation, New Delhi, Delhi, India

    Vijay Sakhuja

  2. National Maritime Foundation, Research Fellow National Maritime Foundation, New Delhi, Delhi, India

    Kapil Narula

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Sinha, U.K. (2016). Arctic: A Paradox and Antithesis. In: Sakhuja, V., Narula, K. (eds) Asia and the Arctic. Springer Geology. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-10-2059-9_2

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