Antarctic treaty: what is and what it establishes

He Antarctic treaty arose as an important Antarctica Conservation and Protection Projectturning it into a peaceful and unarmed continent, in which the exploitation of its natural resources is prohibited. This treaty was signed in Washington, on December 1, 1959, although it did not enter into force until June 23, 1961.

At present, the Antarctic Treaty has the support of 50 countriesalthough during your establishment It was signed only by the 12 countries that had so then developed some kind of activity in the white continent. These twelve countries were:

• Argentina
• Australia
• Belgium
• Chili
• France
• Japan
• New Zealand
• Norway
• South Africa
• United Kingdom
• Ireland
• USA
• Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (the USSR)

Thus, the Antarctic Treaty joined the various international treaties that already existed, recognizing in it the importance of Antarctica as a continent that must be used exclusively for peaceful purposes, contributing to scientific knowledge and international cooperation, to never be a scenario or object of international discord.

In the next section we will see in detail the main measures included in the valuable Antarctic treaty.

Now that you know what the Antarctic Treaty is, let’s see what it establishes. With a vision focused on political, environmental and operational aspects, action measures established by the Antarctic Treaty They are collected at the following fundamental points:

• The main objective of the Antarctic Treaty is to promote and guarantee a peaceful use of Antarctica: without militarization operations of any kind; such as the realization of military maneuvers or the trial with weapons.
• The freedom of scientific research is encouraged: In the “White Continent” and the cooperation of the contracting parties (states of the Treaty) in said scientific field, facilitating the exchange of personnel, information and scientific results about Antarctica.
• Nuclear explosions and radioactive waste discharge are prohibited: related to the use of nuclear energy.
• The participation of the contracting parties in the advisory and special meetings is mandatory: Proposals with the ultimate goal of promoting and ensuring the application of the objectives and provisions of the Antarctic Treaty. These conferences of the treaty were held every two years, from its entry into force in 1961 until 1994, from which the frequency of the conferences is annual.
• They are assignedby the representatives of each contracting party, “Observers” with the function of fulfilling the different inspections proposed in the treaty: such as the inspection of stations, facilities, equipment and ships; as well as the different points of boarding and landing of personnel and loading in Antarctica.
• The treaty application area must ensure the protection and conservation of all and each of the living resources found in Antarctica their natural habitat.

Do you still know what the Antarctic Treaty consists of? In summary, the Antarctic Treaty seeks to achieve an adequate balance between the use of the white continent and its protection, thus achieving a Sustainable and Ecological Development enhancing, in turn, the scientific and cultural progress of humanity.

Perhaps you may be interested in the following Ecology Verde article on environmental protocols: what are and examples.

To finish this informative article about what the Antarctic Treaty is and what we establish, we want to offer Information about the thaw of Antarctica.

Among the most current data provided by the public, we find that, although there is the Antarctic Treaty, which happens in the rest of the planet, of course, also affects this area. The waters of the Antarctica region have been heated for decades at a higher rate than the global average.

The Antarctic Ocean It has heated at a rate of 0.17 ºC since the 50s And the global average is 0.10 ºC, so the ice of the South Pole is faster.

To inform you more about this environmental problem and the situation of Antarctica, we recommend reading these other ecology articles about the consequences of the thaw of the poles and data on the thaw of the poles.

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