POLAR REGIONS

Polar Politics

A ntarctica still has the feeling of a remote and wild place. Many people think it should be kept that way and made into a world park.

Mining and Tourists An issue not covered by the Treaty was mining. In the 1980s an attempt was made to write a mining treaty for Antarctica. Although it had many good parts, in the end it was not passed. In the 1970s and 1980s tourists began to come to Antarctica more often. About the same time people began to think that the Treaty was going to end in 1991. In fact the Treaty has no end. Non-government groups became involved in Antarctica for the first time. Greenpeace suggested that Antarctica should be made a world park. This would allow scientific research to continue. It would also allow a small amount of tourism. Mining would be forbidden. Protection of Antarctic Wilderness By 1990 nearly 40 countries had signed the Antarctic Treaty. They felt that the world park idea would have no advantage over the existing Treaty. Instead they agreed to strengthen the Treaty. In 1992 they agreed to a new section called the Environmental Protocol . This made much stricter rules about what could be done in Antarctica. Part of the Protocol was a ban on mining for 50 years.

Polar Tourism Many people want to visit the polar regions. The scenery and wildlife in the Arctic and Antarctic are so special that people pay thousands of dollars to see them. If they are not to damage what they have come to see tourists need to be controlled. The Antarctic Treaty Environmental Protocol will help to do this. In the Arctic each country has different laws and control is less easy.

43