Let’s talk about the piece of paper known as the Antarctic Treaty

Why have a Treaty?

There are very few places in the world that can say they’ve never had a war, their environment is completely protected, and scientific research is of the utmost importance. Antarctica is that place.

And the only way this is possible, is thanks to the cooperation between pretty much every country. Cooperation not really seen before.

If we pop on back to 1908, we’ll see that seven nations have made a formal claim on part of Antarctica. As we reach the 1940s and 50s, we start to see some hustle bustle to make those claims a reality. In 1948, we even have some gunfire, when Argentina fire at British troops when attempting to solidify an area that both countries claim as their own.

By the time we get to the end of 1955, there are several countries with over 20 bases in the Antarctic Peninsula attempting to claim the continent for themselves.

And yet, things take an interesting turn. Something that hasn’t really happened before in history. Instead of fighting about who gets to own the land, the countries with claims band together and create a Treaty, which basically lays out that no country can lay claim to Antarctica.

Surprisingly, the Antarctic Treaty is shockingly short, but it contains everything it needs.

Thanks to the Antarctic Treaty agreement, all the active countries in Antarctica have to make group decisions about the use of the continent as a whole, with one caveat that it cannot be the site of war.

In fact the whole purpose of the Antarctic Treaty is for peace. Here’s the main aim of the Treaty:

Recognising that it is in the interests of all mankind that Antarctica shall continue forever to be used exclusively for peaceful purposes and shall not become the scene or object of international discord.

So how did this all come about in the first place. Back in the International Geophysical Year of 1957-58 (as we know from our South Pole episode, time is a little different down in the southend), 12 countries came together and they all agreed to put their political differences aside in order to further our one common goal: scientific discovery and research.

And since 1961, when the Treaty came into force, it has actually become the most successful international agreement ever put into action. Basically every country has dismissed their own territorial claims and are committed to having Antarctica as a scientific haven.

I can’t think of anything more astounding in our current political landscape.

And ever since the very first Antarctic Treaty Consultative Meeting all the way back in 1961, annual meetings have been held to discuss issues from scientists cooperating, to protecting the environment, to how to operate everything, and all decisions are made by majority. It’s all very diplomatic.

This way of working has allowed the original Antarctic Treaty to evolve into a whole system of working with the many facets that make up the continent of Antarctica, all while keeping science at the forefront.

Who signed the Treaty?

So who were those original 12 countries to sign the Treaty? That’s pretty easy.

Argentina, Australia, Belgium, Chilé, France, Japan, New Zealand, Norway, South Africa, United Kingdom, United States and USSR were the first 12 to sign the Antarctic Treaty in Washington on 1 December 1959.

Among these twelve, you will find the seven countries with a territorial claim. There’s Argentina, Australia, Chilé, France, New Zealand, Norway and the UK. But of course, none of them recognise any of the other claims. It’s all very political. Thankfully we don’t need to worry about that.

Since the first signing another 44 countries have added their signatures to the Treaty, making the total number of Parties to the Treaty 56, but membership to countries not yet on the Treaty is always open.

What’s pretty crazy is that any of the signatories could call for a review of the Treaty after the first 30 years. And since that was in 1991, no countries have done so, everyone seems pretty happy with how things are, so it continues. I guess if it’s not broke, don’t fix it. In fact, on the 30th anniversary, the countries came together to recognise the strength of the Treaty and to promise to continue upholding it.

Which means that every country participating in scientific research has experienced free and peaceful cooperation with all the other countries. And it’s the research to come out of this cooperation that has contributed to our understanding of the world and the environment.

The Antarctic Treaty sure has set an example of peaceful international cooperation. So at least we know it is possible.

What does the Treaty say?

The Treaty itself has 14 articles. I’m not going to go into every one of them. Just hit the highlights.

The main stroke of it is that Antarctica can only be used for peaceful purposes, so no military clashes or even testing, everything has to be science based.

We’ve already heard a bit of the Preamble, so let’s get stuck into some of the Articles.

Naturally, Article I is all about peaceful use:

Antarctica shall be used for peaceful purposes only.

Article II is all about the science:

Freedom of scientific investigation in Antarctic and cooperation toward that end…

Article III, also about science, is all about transparency:

Scientific observations and results from Antarctica shall be exchanged and made freely available.

Article IV covers the territorial claims:

No acts or activities…shall constitute a basis for asserting, supporting or denying a claim to territorial sovereignty in Antarctica…No new claim, or enlargement of an existing claim to territorial sovereignty in Antarctica shall be asserted…

And then we’ve got Article VII, which is concerned with being open about what you’re doing in the icy tundra:

All areas of Antarctica, including all stations, installations and equipment within those areas…shall be open at all times to inspection.

Mainly to stop any funny business going on.

If you want to check out the Antarctic Treaty as a whole for yourself, then check out this link. It’s pretty fascinating reading.

The Antarctic Treaty System

The Antarctic Treaty doesn’t stand on its own anymore. It is now a part of a system of Treaties, known as the Antarctic Treaty System.

The System now contains multiple agreements, mainly on environmental protections, with three of these international agreements still in use today.

The Protocol on Environmental Protection to the Antarctic Treaty was signed on 4 October 1991 in Madrid, and has since become known as the ‘Madrid Protocol’, which I’m not gonna lie is a lot easier to get the tongue around. This protocol came into being thanks to a growing awareness of the importance of Antarctica’s environment and it’s need for protection.

Thanks to the continent being designated a

Natural reserve, devoted to peace and science.

The Articles that make up the Protocol set out the activities deemed appropriate to be carried out within Antarctica, and prohibits anything not in the land’s interests, unless it’s specifically for scientific research.

This Protocol has been protected thanks to the fact that until 2048, which is still a fair distance away, all changes need to be unanimous between all the parties that make up the Antarctic Treaty.

Our second agreement is the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources. And this covers, unsurprisingly, the conservation of Antarctica’s marine living resources.

Our third agreement is the Conservation of Antarctic Seals. The title says it all for this one as well. It covers the protection of the seals that live not only on the continent but also in its surrounding waters. Which means that any killing or even capturing of seals is a no go. And there are very strict regulations on keeping certain areas undisturbed by humans, allowing both protected and unprotected species to flourish.

If you’re interested in diving a bit deeper into any of the treaties, then here’s another link where you can download them and even order hard copies for the bookshelf.

This last one’s not really a treaty, but The Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research, otherwise known as SCAR, is the body that coordinates all research programs taking place in Antarctica helping to encourage scientific cooperation between all countries doing research down there.

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