Climate Change Narratives: Reading the Arctic

In an interconnected world with interlinked issues, understanding Climate Change and the Arctic and exploring the intersection between the two is extremely important. The monograph addresses Climate Change as a security risk; as a geopolitical orientation and as an energy challenge, and maps the impact of these narratives on the Arctic. The Arctic region is a vast area around the North Pole, covering over 1/6th of the earth’s landmass. With the melting of the ice, the attraction for resource exploitation and benefits of sea routes is changing the Arctic profile. The environmental, commercial and the strategic forces are all set to play a critical role in the Arctic.

The lines of a poem “Puzzle” by Synovve Haga beautifully capture the changes in the Arctic:

Many pieces must fall into place
In the Great Puzzle
Some do so willingly
While others pave their own paths
Ignoring the pattern
Be patient
They all find their way in the end
And settle down
Where they belong (Svalbard – With roots in the Permafrost)

About the Author

Uttam Kumar Sinha is a Fellow at IDSA and holds an adjunct position at the Malaviya Centre for Peace Research, Benares Hindu University. At IDSA, he is the Managing Editor of Strategic Analysis (Routledge) and edits the Strategic Digest.

Download Monograph