Antarctic Treaty Flashcards
(13 cards)
When was the Antarctic Treaty made?
1959
how many countries
12
what were the 6 basic principles?
-no mineral exploitation
-plants and animals must be conserved
-areas of the environment must be protected
-there are rules for waste disposal and waste must be minimised
-there are regulations for the discharge of sewage from vessels
-activities must have an Environmental Impact Assessment befor ethey go ahead
How many visitors are allowed on the land at any one time
100
worries about nuclear testing on the antarctic heightened in the wake of the cold war. so…
the Antarctic was only to be used for peaceful purposes - so no military activities or nuclear weapon testing
what r the social impacts
- free of nuclear tests and disposal of radioactive waste - only used for peaceful purposes
-promotes international scientific cooperation and shared research - globally agreed rules amongst tour operators; only 100 visitors r allowed to land at any one time
what r economic impacts
- income from Antarctic Tourism
in 2015/6 season, 40,000 tourists visited raising a total revenue of £206 million
-restrict land claimed for mineral extraction such as oil that would otherwise produce a proft
environmental impacts
- prevents activities that are damaging to the environment such as mining + nuclear testing
- strict rules ab introduction of non-native species so tht ecosystems are not disturbed/diseases are not introduced into exosystems that are not adapted to withstanfd them
- preservation and conservation of living resources in Antarctica; particularly the wildlife such as penguins
The UK has ___ to ___ longitude as the British Antarctic Territory CLaim
BUT
20 degrees west to 80 degrees west
BUT these claims are recognised by only a few countries as under the antarctic treaty, all territorial claims are essentially forzen .
What does ‘all territorial claims are frozen’ mean?
- claims cant be expanded enforced ot disputed while the treaty is in effect
Why is antarctica now special?
- one of the few places on Earth where there has never been any war.
ATCM ((antarctic treaty consultative meeting)) is held ___________. They:
annually
discuss environmental protection, scientific cooperation, logistics and governance of Antarctica
update or negotiate new conservation measures such as rule son toursim, fishing and protected areas
whats one disadvantage
- some people think it should be extended to cover the ocean surrounding antarctica so there is more protection of marine life
