Север и рынок. 2023, № 2.

СЕВЕР И РЫНОК: формирование экономического порядка. 2023. № 2. С. 189-200. Sever i rynok: formirovanie ekonomicheskogo poryadka [The North and the Market: Forming the Economic Order], 2023, no. 2, pp. 189-200. НАУЧНЫЕ СООБЩЕНИЯ India has memberships in both the International Arctic Science Committee and in the Asian Forum for Polar Sciences. India is also a member of the Ny-Alesund Science Managers Committee, the International Arctic Science Committee, University of Arctic and Asian Forum for Polar Sciences. India has sent 13 expeditions to the Arctic since 2007 and runs 23 active science projects. India's study of permafrost snow and ice, has assisted in increasing the understanding of the Arctic. The country is actively involved in studies related to Arctic oceanography, atmosphere, pollution and microbiology18. Over twenty-five institutes and Universities are involved in Arctic research for India. Approximately one hundred peer reviewed papers have been published on Arctic issues since 2007 [6]. Since its establishment, over three hundred Indian researchers have worked in the station India's Arctic station Himadri. It is manned 180 days a year [6]. Since becoming an Observer in the Arctic Council, India has been actively participating in meetings of Senior Arctic Officials and contributing to six Working Groups of the Arctic Council. India has also had sustained engagement with the Arctic Energy Summit, Arctic Science Ministerial and meetings of Task Forces [6]. India has one of the most highly advanced spaces programmes in the world. Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) operates a vast set of satellites including the radar imaging earth observation RISAT series of satellites can be deployed for studies within the Arctic region. Similarly, ISRO's optical high resolution and hyper spectral imaging capabilities can be deployed to assist studies in the Arctic region [6]. The NASA-ISRO SAR (NISAR) mission will launch in 2023. It will measure the earths changing ecosystems, dynamic surface masses, sea level rise and groundwater. NISAR's data will help better understand the causes and consequences of land surface changes and the effects and speed of climate change to better enable management of natural resources and hazards, globally, including the Arctic [3]. The Arctic region is influences atmospheric, oceanographic and biogeochemical cycles of the earth's ecosystem, especially within the Himalaya's [3]. Although geographically distant, the Arctic and the Himalayas, are interconnected and do share similar concerns. Arctic meltdown is leading the Indian scientific community to better understand glacial melts in the Himalayas. Commonly referred to as the "Third Pole", the Himalaya's are the source of many the major rivers that flow through 18ClearIAS, India's Actic policy, 1st December 2022, https://www.clearias.com/india-arctic-policy/. 19Climate.gov. 18 October 2022, Climate change: Artic sea ice summer minimum https://www.climate.gov/news-features/understanding-climate/ climate-change-arctic-sea-ice-summer-minimum. India. Climate change occurring in the Arctic, while not fully understood, does influence the monsoons in India. India's agricultural operations are directly dependent upon the monsoons. As an agriculture-reliant country, Indian environmental concerns are intertwined with the Arctic's climate change concerns, especially rising sea levels and unpredictable monsoon patterns. The level of sea ice in the region has been reducing by 13 per cent per decade19; a further worsening of the climate conditions and glacial melting could be disruptive for the indigenous communities and wellbeing of the Indian rural sector. Crucially, the melting of Arctic ice also entails the opening of new shipping routes which could redraw global trade flows and maritime navigation. India has the intention to develop the International North-South Corridor with Moscow and link it to the Arctic to build trans-Arctic shipping routes and decrease shipping costs20. Another reason for India to engage the Artic is to achieve energy security by diversifying energy supplies. Previously, Russia — a leading Arctic power with vast Arctic resources — was an important partner to India's energy strategy. Indian firms and political leaderships have linked agreements and memorandums of understanding with Russian counterparts to cooperate on oil and gas projects21. Another area where India has leverage in the Arctic region is human development. Specialized cultures of the Arctic's indigenous inhabitants are being inexorably impacted by climate change as well as economic development and improved connectivity. This is similar to the socio-ecological-economic predicament of the Himalayan peoples. The disruption of unique ecosystems and erosion of traditional knowledge are common to both. India has substantial expertise in addressing such issues and is uniquely placed to make a positive contribution in assisting the Arctic's indigenous communities cope with similar challenges. The goals of India's Arctic Policy are given in the Table 3. In summary, from starting with a modest station at Svalbard in 2007, India has come a long way to establishing itself as a credible actor in the Arctic region. India's Arctic Policy declarations are multifaceted and multidimensional, setting out longer-term prospects for engagement in the region. Its "Building a Partnership for Sustainable Development" Arctic policy (2022) is predicated on six pillars, three of which are Science and Research; Climate and Environmental Protection; and Governance and International Cooperation, "themes" that align greatly to the security and the sustainability of the Arctic. 20 iSAS, NUS National University of Singapore, 22 March 2022, India Officially Ventures into the Arctic, https://www.isas.nus.edu.sg/papers/india-officially- ventures-into-the-arctic/. 21 Ibid. ©Туинова С. С., Бакстер К., 2023 196