According to Ian Storey, the states that became observers to the Arctic Council in 2013 – China, Japan, South Korea, Singapore and India, have for a long time been interested in Arctic issues, and this interest has only grown during the last years because of the profound changes caused by climate change, Storey said in his speech at the Arctic Frontiers conference in Tromsø on Monday.
When it comes to the Arctic as an area for global governance, Asian countries are among some of the most globalized countries in the world and have a long tradition for active participation in international forums that deal with global governance, Storey argues.
“Arctic issues are of global importance, as what happens in the Arctic affects all countries, including those in Asia.”
Asian stakeholders see that scientific research in the Arctic is more important than ever, as climate change is seriously affecting Asian countries. 70 percent of the world’s natural disasters occur in Asia, many of which are exacerbated by climate change. Tropical countries in Southeast Asia are becoming hotter and wetter, and rising sea levels pose a serious threat to low-lying cities.
Although the extent of Arctic energy resources are unknown and their commercial viability open to question, China, Japan and South Korea look to Arctic resources to reduce their dependence on the Middle East, Storey says. He also believes that Asian countries, especially China, can come to play a bigger role in Arctic oil and gas extraction as a result of the Western sanctions against Russia’s energy projects.
The possibilities opened by the Northern Sea Route (NSR) have raised large interest in Asia. In 2012 sailed the icebreaker “Xuelong”, also known under the name “Snow Dragon”, with a 119-member team aboard, became the first Chinese polar expedition to sail all along the Northern Sea Route into the Barents Sea and upon return sailing a straight line from Iceland to the Bering Strait via the North Pole.
NSR reduces sailing times between Europe and Northeast Asia by 30-50 percent.
Mr. Storey belives that NSR is unlikely to rival the Suez-Malacca route anytime soon, for this the costs are too high, and the route is not optimal for container shipping. “The Northern Sea Route is unreliable in short term, while long term prospects are uncertain.”
As BarentsObserver reported, cargo transport on the Northern Sea Route in 2014 plummeted nearly 80 percent.
