“Tundra regions are ecologically fragile but economically important.” Examine this statement critically.
Approach · directive: “critically examine”
What it asks · Weigh the ecological fragility of tundra (mainly Arctic) against its economic value, and judge whether exploitation can be reconciled with its protection.
The question has 3 parts — answer each
- Examine: why tundra is ecologically fragile
- Examine: why it is economically important
- Critically: weigh the two and judge whether use and protection can be reconciled
Open with · Tundra — treeless lands of permafrost, short summers and hardy mosses, lichens and shrubs — covers much of the Arctic rim of Eurasia and North America.
Cover
- Fragility: permafrost, a short growing season, simple food chains and slow recovery mean that damage lasts for decades.
- Climate stress: the Arctic is warming several times faster than the global average; thawing permafrost can release methane and carbon.
- Economic value: oil and gas (Yamal, Alaska's North Slope), nickel and other minerals, and rare earths in Greenland.
- New routes and fisheries: melting ice opens the Northern Sea Route; rich fisheries; reindeer herding and tourism support local economies.
- Critical view: extraction brings oil spills, subsidence and pollution (e.g., the Norilsk diesel spill, 2020) and threatens indigenous livelihoods.
- Global stake: tundra is a vast carbon store; India's Arctic Policy (2022) and Himadri station reflect scientific and strategic interest.
Close with · Economic use must follow science-led, Arctic Council-style cooperative governance that respects indigenous rights and the permafrost carbon store.
Question: UPSC's CS (Main) 2026, GS Paper I — paper ↗. Approach: Minimalist IAS, checked 30 Sept 2026 (how we verify) — UPSC publishes no model answers. ·
Model answer · 226 words (UPSC limit 150) · Minimalist IAS
Tundra — treeless country of permafrost, short summers and hardy mosses, lichens and dwarf shrubs — rims the Arctic across Eurasia and North America.
Ecologically fragile
- Permafrost, a growing season of weeks, thin soils and short food chains mean slow recovery: a vehicle track or spill can scar the ground for decades.
- The Arctic is warming several times faster than the global average; thawing permafrost releases methane and carbon and destabilises the ground.
- Tundra is a vast carbon store, a breeding ground of migratory birds, and the homeland of Sami, Inuit and Nenets herders.
Economically important
- Hydrocarbons and minerals: gas at Yamal, oil on Alaska's North Slope, nickel at Norilsk, rare earths in Greenland.
- Shrinking ice opens the Northern Sea Route and new fisheries; reindeer herding and tourism sustain local economies.
- India's Arctic Policy (2022) and its Himadri station show that even distant states have scientific and shipping stakes.
Critical view
- Extraction brings oil spills, subsidence and pollution — the Norilsk diesel spill of 2020 — and displaces indigenous livelihoods; gains are short-lived and local, losses lasting and global.
- Yet a blanket ban is unrealistic for Arctic states and peoples; the test is whether use follows science, strict safeguards and indigenous consent.
Tundra can be an asset only within its ecological limits — through Arctic Council-style cooperation that treats permafrost carbon and indigenous rights as non-negotiable.
Written by Minimalist IAS from facts checked at source (how we verify) — a little fuller than exam length, so every part of the question is covered; in the hall, keep the structure and trim the detail. UPSC publishes no model answers: compare your structure and coverage with this, then write your own.