Arctic Council: New Observer States and Conservation Issues

As remote as it might seem to the common eye, the Arctic has been seemingly getting closer to those nations whose interest is kindled by its natural resources and economic prospects. The Arctic Council decided on Wednesday that it would allow six new countries to become a part of the Council in the role of observer states.
China, India, Japan, Singapore, Italy and South Korea are now allowed to listen in on meetings and submit proposals to create new policies. The participation of these new countries is in fact directly related to the consequences of global warming: with the Earth’s temperature rising, the ice in the Arctic region is melting and allowing human access to formerly unreachable sources of oil, gas and minerals.

The Arctic and the Chinese – Gaining a Foothold

A second consequence of the melting ice is the growing viability of the Northern Sea Route, which connects Asia and Europe. The number of ships traversing this route a year has grown from four in 2010 to 46 in 2012. Confronted by this situation, China seems to have taken a great interest in the Arctic and has begun establishing new relationships with countries such as Greenland, where it is investing in mining, and Iceland, with whom it has signed a free trade deal. The impact that the new shipping routes through the Arctic Ocean would have on the Chinese economy and industry is big enough to incentivize China’s attempt at gaining a foothold in the area, even if the country is 1,400 km south of the Arctic Circle.

The Arctic Council and its New Members

The Arctic Council’s permanent members are Canada, Denmark, the United States, Finland, Iceland, Norway, Russia and Sweden. It has been argued that the inclusion of other countries in the role of observer states could later mean a lack of efficiency or effectiveness. To this criticism, the Arctic Council has replied that observer countries are in fact making the Council a more powerful, consolidated and recognized body during a time in which the Arctic is increasingly in the spotlight.

Conservation Issues

Originally, the Arctic Council was mainly symbolic in nature, but with the years it has become a means through which to address issues such as the climate change which is affecting the Arctic environment.
So far, the Council has adopted only two legally binding agreements, one of them trying to prepare and coordinate a solution to spills from oil and gas exploitation, and another one to coordinate search and rescue operations in the ocean. However, the economic interest reflected in many countries’ policies raises the issue of conservation. The Arctic environment is particularly fragile and subject to small changes. The Council will have to find a way to regulate exploitation of natural resources in the area without harming the natural environment. So far, the Council has declared that the development of industries in the Arctic will have to be conducted in a sustainable manner that respects both the environment and the indigenous peoples living there.