Global Commons And Antarctica Flashcards
What is a global common?
Areas that aren’t owned by any one country, belong to everyone
- Antarctica
- high seas
- atmosphere
- outer space
describe ‘‘tragedy of the commons’
where countries or organisations think they can exploit global commons without dealing with the consequences (as costs are shared)
3 causes of increased pressure on global commons
industrialisation and development
- increasing demand for resources (that can be extracted from global commons)
increased waste (due to development)
- polluting commons, atmospheric or oil spills
new technology
- easier access to commons eg Antarctica or high seas
- more vulnerable to exploitation
impacts of exploitation of commons
over fishing - taking more fish tan sustainable
- knock on effect in food chain
- unsustainable, less resources in future
atmospheric pollution
- contributes to climate change
acidification of seas (CO2 in atmosphere)
- effects marine organisms
describe climate of Antarctica
- cold, dry and windy
- average -49c
- most precipitation falls as snow
what is wildlife like in Antarctica?
low temperatures, little water, sun and soil = little plants and animals
- lichen and mosses
- insects
- rich variety of marine creatures
fragile environment - effects to one population effect all
4 threats to Antarctica
- climate change
- fishing and whaling
- search for minerals
- research and tourism
outline climate change as a threat
- facing loss of ice - Antarctic Peninsula
- air temperatures +3c in last 50 years
- ice shelves melting - Ross Ice Shelf
decline in species
- Adelie penguins adapted to sea ice
- krill population declined by 80% since 70s
effects whole food chain
causes ocean acidification
- CO2 reacts with sea water, affects marine life
Paris climate agreement?
outline fishing and whaling as a threat
fishing is main economic use of the seas
exploitation has led to overfishing (unsustainable)
whaling common in 20th century
krill is most fished, affects whole food chain
- 2013 - over 200,000 tonnes
however legal limits in place to keep it sustainable - still occurs, hard to monitor
IWC banned commercial whaling
- population slowly increasing
but Japan started again, hard to monitor and some do for scientific reasons
outline search for minerals as a threat
eg coal, oil and gold
currently banned in Antarctic Treaty (reduces impact)
but may change in future due to increased pressure (and treaty runs out in 2048)
outline tourism as a threat
advances in transport and technology made it more accessible
1980 - 2000
2020 - 75,000
attracted by landscapes and wildlife
- impacts on fragile ecosystem
- impacts on wildlife
- pollution from oil spills
however small scale and limited = more sustainable
Antarctic Treaty has rules:
- one ship landing
- limit of 100 tourists ashore at once
- waste removed
outline research as a threat
- home to 50 research stations
- important research - has shown past climate conditions and cycles
- requires facilities
- produces waste
but
research monitored and managed by Antarctic Treaty - more sustainable
significance of each threat
climate change
- damaging
- global impacts
fishing and whaling
- Japan recently whaling, hard to enforce
+ IWC and whaling moratorium
minerals
- increased pressure in future
+ mining banned in Antarctic Treaty (for now)
research and tourism
- damaging
+ regulated by rules in Antarctic Treaty, regulated by IAATO
Who is involved in governance
International government organisations
- UN environmental programme
- IWC (+ whaling moratorium)
- Antarctic Treaty (+ Madrid protocol)
NGOs
- ASOC
- WWF
- IAATO
what is the Antarctic Treaty?
international agreement
between 56 countries
- only used for peaceful reasons
- cooperate on scientific research
includes Madrid Protocol
- protects fragile environment
- bans mining
evaluation of Antarctic Treaty (+ Madrid Protocol)
+ many countries involved - 56
+ been peaceful cooperation
+ successful in protecting environment
- slow and difficult decision making
- no system to check people following rules
- runs out in 2048 - pressure on minerals
what is the Madrid Protocol?
part of the Antarctic Treaty
- bans mining
- protects fragile environment
what is the International Whaling Commission?
responsible for regulating whaling and ensuring population at sustainable level
- whale sanctuary in Southern Ocean - 1994
includes
Whaling Moratorium
- banned all commercial whaling
- helped whale population to increase
evaluation of IWC
+ helped increase whale population, sanctuary
- monitoring of population based on sightings - need to be properly registered
- some countries continue to whale eg Japan
- poorly enforced - hard to monitor
role of NGOs in protecting Antarctica
- monitoring threats
- protecting environment
work alongside governments
- provide expertise
- campaign
- draw attention to anyone not following rules
eg WWF and ASOC
what is the Antarctic and Southern Ocean Coalition? (NGOs)
group of NGOs
- campaigned to make AT meetings more transparent, NGOs invited
- protects environment against mining and fishing
- monitors environmental changes, such as effects of climate change
- monitors other countries, call attention to any exploitation
evaluation of role of NGOs
+ independent, don’t act on behalf of a country
good at observing countries sticking to rules, call international attention to those who aren’t
+ helpful in protecting environment, no interest in exploiting
- have little direct impact
can’t make and enforce laws themselves
what is the International Association of Antarctic Tour Operators?
self regulation of the tourism industry
- ensures tourism conducted in environmentally friendly way
+ reduces impact on environment
- not all tour operators signed up
How does the UN help govern Antarctica?
UN Environment Programme
- governs environment globally
- reports activity back to UN
- run by CCAMLR
- aims to stop illegal fishing
- conserve Antarctic ecosystem
eg setting up protected areas
impact limited by countries protecting own interest
- 5 years to negotiate protected area round Ross sea
how does governance of Antarctica affect the world?
- monitoring melting ice
- created efforts to combat climate change
eg renewable energy, less cars - governance may slow short term economic growth in some countries
- limits of fishing and whaling, limits profit
but more resources long term - governance allows greater scientific research
- people from anywhere can do research - allows safe tourism to Antarctica
successes of governance in Antarctica
+ AT recognised as one of most successful international agreements
+ has been peaceful cooperation
+ helps protect Antarctica from many threats
+ helped advance scientific research in the area, sharing findings and pooling resources
limitations of governance in Antarctica
- decision making in AT difficult - slow and can veto
- no legal penalties and hard to monitor and enforce rules, trust in countries
