Controversial: Asian Giants Look to the Arctic
-- a _kt75 | reprint Quarterly Notes on Sustainable Water Management - Q04/2013 Inside Sustainability: Facts, Figures, Bullshit - Part II: Alternative Energy India and China are in a race to build a presence in the energy-rich Arctic region. After a lengthy courtship, China and India formalized their relationship with the Arctic Council in May 2013 by gaining admission as official observer states. In the months since, both countries have been actively seeking influence with the Council’s permanent members to further establish footholds in a region certain to emerge as a central arena of 21st century geopolitics, scientific research and commerce. But while public statements out of Beijing and New Delhi since May have often cited climate change research as the primary driver of the two countries’ Arctic engagement, the real underlying motive remains securing access to the region’s greatest natural treasure: energy. In recent years, the U.S. Geological Surve...