CGP The Global Commons Antartica

• Antarctica

  A continent at the South Pole surrounded by the Southern Oceans, full of penguins
• Antarctica


  • Unique environment and climate
  • Covers an area about 14 million sq km, larger than Europe
  • Contains 90% of all the ice on Earth and 70% of all the Earth's fresh water
• Global commons

  Antarctica and the Southern Ocean as far north as the Antarctic Convergence
• There's very little available water in Antarctica for plants to grow
• Antarctica's climate is mainly made up of sparse mosses and lichens, and only two species of flowering plants grow
• The terrestrial ecosystem in Antarctica is very fragile and easily damaged
• At the Antarctic Convergence, there's upwelling of nutrient-rich cold water which provides plenty of food for krill and forms the basis of the whole Southern Ocean food chain
• There's abundant sea life in Antarctica, e.g. fish, seals and whales. Birds like albatrosses and penguins survive on the sea life
• The marine ecosystem in Antarctica is also fragile - the population of one species decreases it affects other species
• Four Main Threats to Antarctica

  • Climate Change
  • Fishing and Whaling
• Climate Change

  • Areas along the west coast of Antarctica have warmed by as much as 3°C in the past five decades, one of the fastest temperature rises on Earth
  • Warming has caused the ice shelves to melt, changing the Antarctic environment dramatically
  • Species like Adélie penguins have declined as the sea ice has melted, while more open-water species like chinstrap penguins have increased
  • Antarctic krill population has declined by around 80% since the 1970s as the sea ice has melted, affecting krill-dependent species
  • Melting sea ice has an impact on global sea levels, which have risen by around 3 mm a year since the 1990s
  • Climate change also causes ocean acidification around Antarctica, which can be devastating to Antarctica's plankton
• Fishing and Whaling

  • Over-fishing threatens many species, e.g. the Patagonian toothfish and Antarctic krill
  • Illegal fishing is difficult to monitor and regulate
  • Other species like albatrosses and petrels get caught in fishing lines and drown
  • Whaling significantly decreased the Antarctic whale population in the mid-20th century, which is now slowly recovering
• Increased shipping and air travel to Antarctica leads to water and air pollution, and the introduction of invasive species
• Scientific and environmental research in Antarctica requires a lot of infrastructure, which creates waste
• Antarctic Treaty (1959)


  An agreement about how to sustainably manage Antarctica's ecosystems, signed by 53 countries
• Key rules in the Antarctic Treaty

  • Antarctica should only be used for peaceful purposes - no military activities or weapons allowed
  • Countries should cooperate on scientific research in Antarctica by sharing plans, researchers and results
  • Antarctica should remain in the global commons - individual countries cannot make a claim to it
• Under the Antarctic Treaty, all activities and equipment in Antarctica can be inspected at any time, but inspections don't occur very often
• Protocol on Environmental Protection to the Antarctic Treaty (1991)

  Focuses on protecting Antarctica's fragile environment, banning mining and setting rules to protect plants, animals and prevent pollution
• There is no system to ensure all countries abide by the rules in the Antarctic Treaty and Protocol, and disputes between countries can be slow to resolve
• International Whaling Commission (IWC)


  Responsible for regulating whaling and ensuring the whale population is at a sustainable level
• United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)


  The main UN agency that governs the world's environment, including in Antarctica through the Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR)
• The effectiveness of CCAMLR is limited by individual countries protecting their own interests
• Whaling Moratorium


  Banned all commercial whaling in 1982
• NGOs


  Play an important role in monitoring and enforcing rules in Antarctica, e.g. the Antarctic and Southern Ocean Coalition (ASOC)
• ASOC successfully campaigned to make Antarctic Treaty meetings more transparent and allow NGO attendance
• ASOC monitors environmental changes in Antarctica and checks whether countries are following the rules
• Global governance of Antarctica

  Affects people and places around the world, e.g. informing efforts to combat climate change, regulating economic growth, enabling scientific exploration, and allowing safe tourism