ARCTIC
COUNCIL - INTERNATIONAL
News:
Breaking the ice: How
India can help save the Arctic
What's
in the news?
●
The Arctic is warming at a rate four times
faster than the global average, leading to an unprecedented loss of sea ice, as
well as the thawing of permafrost.
●
Continued Arctic change risks losing the
North Pole’s “great white shield” and unleashing vast quantities of stored
carbon, rivaling the cumulative emissions from the US at its current rate.
●
This can trigger multiple catastrophic and
irreversible climate tipping points. Protection of the Arctic is, therefore,
crucial to protect the world from the worst effects of the climate emergency.
Arctic
Council:
●
The Arctic Council is an intergovernmental organisation formally
established in 1996 by the Ottawa
Declaration.
●
It aims to promote cooperation,
coordination and interaction between the Arctic States.
Members:
●
Canada, Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway,
Russia, Sweden and the United States.
Arctic
Council Secretariat
-
Tromsø, Norway.
Features:
●
The Arctic Council works as a consensus-based body to deal with
issues such as the change in biodiversity, melting sea ice, plastic pollution
and black carbon.
India
and Arctic Council:
●
India has received the ‘Observer’ country status in the Arctic
Council in 2013 and is one among the 13 countries across the world, including
China, to have that position. The status was renewed in 2018.
Arctic
Council Working Groups:
1.
Arctic Contaminants Action Program (ACAP) - strengthening and
supporting mechanism to encourage national actions to reduce emissions and
other releases of pollutants.
2.
Arctic Monitoring and Assessment Programme (AMAP)
- monitors the Arctic environment, ecosystems and human populations, and
provides scientific advice to support governments as they tackle pollution and
adverse effects of climate change.
3.
Conservation of Arctic Flora and Fauna (CAFF) - addresses the
conservation of Arctic biodiversity, working to ensure the sustainability of
the Arctic’s living resources.
4.
Emergency Prevention, Preparedness and Response (EPPR)
- protect the Arctic environment from the threat or impact of an accidental
release of pollutants or radionuclides.
5.
Protection of the Arctic Marine Environment (PAME)
- protection and sustainable use of the Arctic marine environment.
6.
Sustainable Development Working Group (SDWG) - works to advance
sustainable development in the Arctic and to improve the conditions of Arctic
communities as a whole.