“Tundra regions are ecologically fragile but economically important.” Examine this statement critically.
10 marks · answer in 150 words · directive: Critically examine
The core of a good answer
Tundra ecosystems recover very slowly because of cold, short growing seasons and permafrost, yet they hold large hydrocarbon and mineral reserves and new shipping routes; the economic value is real but its extraction is tightly constrained by fragility, climate change and indigenous rights.
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What the question asks
Test both halves of the statement with evidence and then weigh them against each other. 'Critically' means noting that economic importance is partly potential, that fragility raises costs of extraction, and that thawing permafrost turns the tundra into a global climate risk.
Answer outline
Introduction
Tundra is the treeless biome of the high latitudes (Arctic tundra) and high mountains (alpine tundra), marked by permafrost, low temperatures and a short growing season.
Why it is fragile
- Biodiversity is low and cold, short summers limit plant growth, so changes such as permafrost thaw can alter which species survive over decades or centuries.
- Permafrost stores large amounts of carbon; thaw releases carbon dioxide and methane, and thawing ice-rich ground can shift or collapse.
- The Arctic has warmed nearly four times faster than the globe since 1979 (Rantanen et al., 2022).
Why it is economically important
- The USGS Circum-Arctic Resource Appraisal estimated about 13% of the world's undiscovered oil and 30% of its undiscovered gas lie in the Arctic.
- Minerals such as nickel at Norilsk; oil at Prudhoe Bay in Alaska, discovered in 1968.
- Melting sea ice opens routes like the Northern Sea Route; reindeer herding, fishing and tourism support indigenous economies.
Critical assessment
- Infrastructure built on permafrost is itself at risk: the Norilsk diesel spill of May 2020 is attributed to collapse of foundations as permafrost thawed (corrosion of the tank bottom is also cited as a cause).
- High costs, harsh conditions and climate commitments limit how much of the resource is viable.
- Indigenous reindeer herders such as the Sami and Nenets depend on the same land, so extraction raises questions of their rights and livelihoods.
Indian angle
- India's Arctic Policy (17 March 2022) links science, climate and economic interests; Himadri station (2008) at Svalbard; observer at the Arctic Council since 2013.
Conclusion
The statement holds, but the tundra's economic value can be realised only under strict environmental governance; its greatest importance may be as a climate regulator rather than as a resource frontier.
Examples and data to cite
- Norilsk diesel spill, 29 May 2020: about 17,500 tonnes of diesel; court ordered a fine of about US$2 billion in February 2021.
- USGS Circum-Arctic Resource Appraisal: about 13% of undiscovered oil and 30% of undiscovered gas.
- Rantanen et al. (2022), Communications Earth and Environment: Arctic warming nearly four times the global rate since 1979.
- India's Arctic Policy, released by the Ministry of Earth Sciences, 17 March 2022.
Facts to remember
- Permafrost is ground that stays frozen for at least two consecutive years.
- India's Arctic research station Himadri was set up in 2008 at Ny-Alesund, Svalbard.
- India became an observer at the Arctic Council in 2013.
- India's Arctic Policy has six pillars, including science, climate and environmental protection, and economic and human development.
Where it sits in the syllabus
- GS1: Physical geography of the world
Salient features of world's physical geography.
- GS1: Resources and industrial location
Distribution of key natural resources across the world (including South Asia and the Indian sub-continent); factors responsible for the location of primary, secondary, and tertiary sector industries in various parts of the world (including India).