Antarctica (case study) global commons

Question 1

Geography/climate stats

Answer 1

14 million km² - Global commons are areas that aren’t owned by any one country or organisation.

90% all ice on Earth – 70% all freshwater (any melting any ice will see large increases in sea level)

> 166mm precipitation/ year (desert)

Very fragile ecosystem – easily damaged/ long-time to recover.

Question 2

Main Threats to Antarctica - Climate change

Answer 2

1.CLIMATE CHANGE – past 5 decades warmed 3º on the West coast of Antarctica (the fastest on earth) - This will cause significant ice melt this ice will cause sea level rise, risking millions of lives.

Global sea levels have risen 3mm a year since the 1990s. (low lying coastal areas of the world have been affected by more flooding)

Antarctic krill depend on the sea ice. Krill has declined by 80% since 1970s as the sea ice has melted.

Question 3

Main Threats to Antarctica - Mineral Resources

Answer 3

2.MINERAL RESOURCES – large amounts of coal and iron ore in the Transantarctic mountains, large oil reserves underneath the Southern ocean. (no mining in Antarctic which shows the
success of the Antarctic treaty (1959) and it still currently banned. However, if this were to change mining would irreplaceably change the environment)

Question 4

Main Threats to Antarctica - Fishing & Whaling

Answer 4

3.FISHING AND WHALING – overfishing threatens many species. Krill is the most fished creature 200,000 tonnes in 2013.

Evidence of lots of illegal fishing taking place even though there are legal limits on how much fish can be caught each year. (This shows that while the Antarctic treaty is successful in many places it is failing to monitor this illegal fishing)

Fishing affects other species by them getting caught in the nets and drowning = albatrosses and petrels. This then affects the food web for these species.

Question 5

Main Threats to Antarctica - Tourism and Scientific Research

Answer 5

4.TOURISM AND RESEARCH - increases ship and air travel to Antarctica increasing water pollution. Risk oil spills = environmental disaster.

Tourists can disturb breeding colonies of birds. Trampling = damages fragile vegetation and erodes the landscape. Litter and waste disposal = damages habitats and can injure wildlife.

Question 6

Developing Governance (Protection) fishing and whaling

Answer 6

• International Whaling Commission (IWC) set up in 1946 is responsible for regulating and monitoring whaling. They have to ensure that the whale population is at a sustainable level.
  1994 Whale sanctuary set up in the Southern ocean around Antarctica to protect whales.
• United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) is a UN agency. It reports back to the UN on activity in Antarctica. Programme run by Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR) aims to stop illegal fishing and conserve the ecosystem, through setting up protected areas.
  (it took 5 years to negotiate the creation of one marine protected)

Question 7

Antarctic Treaty 1959

Answer 7

The Antarctic Treaty (1959)
Purpose = to sustainable manage Antarctica’s ecosystem. 3 important rules

1. Antarctica should only be used for peaceful reasons – no army bases or weapons are allowed on
   the continent.
2. Countries should cooperate on scientific research in Antarctica by sharing plans, researchers
   and results.
3. Antarctica should remain a global commons – individual countries cannot make a claim on it.

Question 8

Environmental update to Antarctic Treaty 1991

Answer 8

Protocol on Environmental Protection to the Antarctic treaty (1991)
Purpose = added to Antarctic Treaty to protect Antarctica’s fragile environment. Original treaty was unenforceable and this protocol agreement of 45 nations has helped to make it an enforceable
agreement.

1. Banned all mining in Antarctica.
2. Set rules to help protect Antarctic plants and animals, regulate waste disposal and prevent
   pollution.
3. A Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) is required for all new activities.

Question 9

Whaling Moratorium (1982)

Answer 9

Whaling Moratorium (1982)
Purpose = to ban all commercial whaling around the World and this included Antarctica to help increase stocks of whales. This is believed to have had a positive impact as Whales populations in Antarctica
have increased.

Systems for inspection and enforcement = success of the moratorium is monitored by estimating whale populations based on sightings and modelling. Very difficult to work out exact numbers of whales
and whether countries are then breaking the rules by killing whales as there is no exact number of the different species to work from.

Question 10

THE ROLE OF NGOs IN MONITORING THREATS AND ENHANCING THE PROTECTION OF ANTARCTICA

Answer 10

• Antarctic and Southern Ocean Coalition (ASOC) formed in 1978 from a group of NGOs concerned about some countries planning to make it legal to search for oil, gas and minerals in Antarctica.
• ASOC monitors environmental changes on the continent and checks whether the countries are following the rules of the 1959 Antarctic Treaty, 1991 Environment Protocol, and 1982 Whale Moratorium. It also
  monitors and checks the marine reserves and the Southern Ocean Whale Sanctuary.
• ASOC also monitors the effects of climate change is having on Antarctica. This is done by checking melting ice and sea levels around the continent. They are campaigning to reduce greenhouse gas
  emissions by governments.