India chairs Asian polar science forum, pushes for stronger collaboration

Panaji: With the polar regions changing dramatically, Asian nations— which account for most of the polar resources—must collaborate to address the impacts of climate change, said Thamban Meloth, director of the National Centre for Polar and Ocean Research (NCPOR). He was speaking at the Asian Forum for Polar Sciences (AFoPS) Annual General Meeting 2025, held in Goa with delegates from China, Japan, South Korea, Malaysia, and Thailand in attendance.

“Asian countries now form the largest block contributing to polar infrastructure, including research stations and ice-class vessels. This forum aims to leverage this advantage to undertake cutting-edge collaborative projects in Antarctica and the Arctic,” said Meloth.

India currently chairs the AFoPS, with Meloth serving as chair until 2026. The two-day forum, organised by NCPOR, reviewed ongoing research and logistics cooperation in Antarctica and the Arctic, while outlining new projects in glaciology, ocean sciences, planetary sciences, and life sciences. Among the ideas tabled were joint studies of Antarctic biodiversity, multi-country research on fall-winter ecosystems, and extended collaborations in fieldwork and data sharing.

A recurring theme was the need for greater logistical coordination. “The idea is now that we have substantial investments made in the Antarctic and Arctic, there are opportunities and possibilities to connect these dots,” said Meloth. “The globe is changing so quickly that in the coming decade things will be dramatically different in the Arctic and Antarctic. So unless you collaborate, we will not be able to make a definite contribution at a larger scale,” he said.

This is the second time India hosted the AFoPS annual general meeting, the first being in New Delhi in 2012. The deliberations highlighted not just shared scientific ambitions, but also a quiet urgency to act before the effects of melting polar ice caps reshape oceans, weather systems, and livelihoods across the globe.