The Russian Geographical Society convened this conference under the title: "Arctic: Territory of Dialogue" from 22-23 September in Arkhangelsk on the White Sea where discussions focussed on the development of the Northern Sea Route and resource exploitation of the Arctic continental shelf.
Conference Website including Agenda
Sonntag, 25. September 2011
Sonntag, 18. September 2011
Indian Proposal for Arctic Common Heritage
A recent article published by Col. P. K. Gautam (ret), a research fellow at India's Institute for Defense Studies and Analysis, raises the proposal of applying the principle of "common heritage" to the Arctic. The author's conclusion reads:
"The Arctic deserves to be treated as a global common and a common heritage of mankind. The current discourse on the Arctic is dominated by the Arctic Five countries and the Arctic Council. This is clearly insufficient. Theses countries are moreover militarizing the Arctic in pursuit of their narrow national interests. Their focus is limited to issues such as claiming Exclusive Economic Zones so that resources can be exploited, rights and resources for sea passage and the like. Protecting the ecology is low in their priority. Their business as usual attitude towards global warming combined with the prospects of the pollution of the Arctic due to increased shipping is likely to further degrade the ecology of the region. Instead of leaving the issue of the Arctic's future to the developed countries, developing countries like India must begin to play an active role, as they are doing in negotiations over space and climate change. It is time that a policy on this issue is debated and evolved in India. The first step in this regard will be for India to become an ad hoc observer to the Arctic Council. At the same time, India's 'strategic community' needs to take the lead in articulating the debating the idea of including the Arctic in the discourse on global commons."
Samstag, 3. September 2011
Exxon and Russia
Exxon Mobil and Rosneft have concluded an agreement (projected to reach perhaps 200-300 billion dollars in direct investement and an additonal half trillion dollars in infrastructure and regional development) to explore the seafloor of the Kara Sea and potentially to develop oil and gas deposits found there. This is one of the first significant results of the Russian policy announced earlier this year to encourage foreign participation in the development of the resources of Russia's arctic shelf. Offshore technology is one of the important aspects of this agreement. Rosneft and Exxon-Mobil will help establish an Arctic Research and Design Center for Offshore Development in St. Petersburg that will be staffed by representatives of both companies. Russia will benefit financially from the cooperative development in the Kara Sea and it may gain even more by integrating offshore technology with its own experience in polar operations.
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