In Antarctica it is easy to focus on the what is in front of you and admire the many unique aspects; the weather extremes, 24-hour daylight, 24-hour darkness/twilight, unique animals, the lack of greenery, the harsh and unforgiving environment, the closely built friendships. However, what is rarely mentioned or understood is how Antarctica is managed.
Antarctica is known as a global common. The term global commons are often defined as areas outside the jurisdiction of any nations or group of nations. The idea is that these environments are to benefit all nations that share a common interest in them. There are four recognised global commons, the atmosphere, outer space, the high seas, and Antarctica (landmass and surrounding ocean). There are two main characteristics that define a global common. Firstly, as mentioned earlier, they are resources that are beyond the limits of national jurisdiction, no one country owns them. Secondly, they are resources that are jointly owned/used by everyone on earth and everyone benefits from them. For example, we all benefit from having a healthy atmosphere, as it is vital to sustain all forms of life.
Each of the four global commons have challenging environmental management issues. The atmosphere has been polluted with greenhouse gasses, outer space has space junk/debris, the high seas have been polluted with plastic and over-fished. Antarctica has seen toothfish exploited and ice sheet and glacial retreat due to increasing greenhouse gases. The main reason these environmental issues have developed is that global commons are ‘both vast and inherently vulnerable’ because they are open access resource domains with no governing authority. This dilemma is clearly articulated in a 1968 paper by Garrett Hardin titled, Tragedy of the Commons.
To date, the international community has dealt with these environmental management issues within the global commons primarily through international treaties and agreements. For example, the Paris Agreement 2015 is a legally binding international treaty on climate change. It was adopted by 196 Parties at the United Nations Climate Change Conference. Despite this agreement, greenhouse gas emissions continue to rise at an unprecedented rate and many countries have not lived up to their pledges.
The way Antarctica is managed is, however, a success story. Antarctica was established as a special kind of commons in 1959 when 12 countries negotiated a treaty, which changed the political, legal, and scientific status of the continent and its surrounding ocean. The treaty stated that any nation with the technical capacity could conduct scientific research, or just explore the continent. The disposal of radioactive materials was prohibited and it had to be demilitarised and denuclearized. The treaty came into place in 1961 and the 12 countries effectively managed Antarctica on behalf of the international community.
Much has changed since then and the main governing tool used for Antarctica is the Antarctic Treaty System (ATS). Fifty-three countries are now a part of the ATS – 29 of these are Antarctic Treaty Consultative Parties (ATCPs) and 24 are non-consultative. The ATCPS are the ones that do all the decision and policymaking on behalf of all the other members, and they meet once a year to discuss and negotiate matters of interest.
Antarctica is a triumph of the notion of global commons and the Antarctic treaty has been described as one of the most successful of all international treaties. However, Antarctica as a global common does not mean that its entirety is automatically protected. Its resources may still be taken advantage of. In the future, further management strategies (enforcement, rules, and regulations) may need to be put in place. For now, let’s celebrate the success of the Antarctic Treaty and actively encourage our government to maintain its integrity.
Mike Atkinson
Winter field training officer
