Experts say the site offers distinct scientific advantages and studies in the region will help understand how India broke away from Antarctica.
NEW DELHI: India’s hopes of setting up another research base in Antarctica brightened on Monday, with experts at an international meet finding ‘strong reasons’ for setting up the new station. India wants to set up a new station in the Laremann Hills region. Experts say the site offers distinct scientific advantages and studies in the region will help understand how India broke away from Antarctica.
The mandatory Comprehensive Environmental Evaluation Report (CEER) for the area has been submitted to the Antarctic Treaty Secretariat (ATS) and is being discussed at the 30th Antarctic Treaty Consultative Meet (ATCM) in the Capital. The Committee of the ATS was formed in 1998 and makes an Environment Impact Assessment of the proposals of countries willing to set up research bases on the frozen continent. “There is a strong reason for India to start a new station,” said Neil Gilbert, Chairman of the Environment Committee that will assess the CEER at the 12-day ATCM.
Concerns about tourism and its effects on the environment are also among the issues that are going to come up at the ATCM. A few countries have been ferrying tourists to Antarctica, which according to scientists is affecting the region’s delicate and unique environment. India has already voiced its strong opposition to the commercial exploitation of Antarctica through tourism, as the trend is aggravating global warming and leading to a rise in the sea level.
Kapil Sibal, Minister of Earth Sciences, spoke of India’s commitment to playing an active role in the domain of Antarctic science, with the underlying motto being the preservation of the pristine environment of the last frontier on earth. “A fresh look needs to be taken at the growth of tourism in Antarctica, in the context of exploitation of resources and protecting the environment of this vast continent,” the minister said. He urged the delegates to develop a framework of regulation to contain tourism. The other issue to be addressed, he said, is the importance of the polar region in the context of global climate change and its impact on our environment and the human beings.
This is the first time the meet is being held in India, ever since signing the Antarctic Treaty in 1983 and being granted consultative status. It coincides with the Silver Jubilee Year of the signing of the treaty by India. The year is also being celebrated as the International Polar Year, to commemorate the International Geophysical Year 1957-58, which lead to the framing of the Antarctic Treaty in 1959.
With inputs from Agencies
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