T1. Global Commons

Question 1

What are the 4 global commons?

Answer 1

• The Atmosphere – area that holds lots of CO², it holds the composition we need to survive, climate change threatens it
• The High Seas – used for fishing, threatened by greater demand and growing industry + rocket testing.
• Outer Space – threatened by space junk and global superpowers – China calls it ‘global public domain’.
• Antarctica

Question 2

Tragedy of the Commons?

Answer 2

= refers to a conflict of exploitation and the commons good
- Atmosphere – air pollution, carbon emissions, air travel, enhanced greenhouse effect
- High seas – over fishing, ecosystem collapse, containerisation (more ships) , oil spills, drilling
- Outer Space – space junk
- Antarctica – tourism, climate change, scientific research, fishing and whaling
- The protection of the global commons comes from UNFCCC and sustainability/development goals, 1979 outer space treaty

Question 3

Case Study: Antarctica

Answer 3

Antarctic circle is 66 degrees south and southern ocean is 60 degrees south

There are two main parts the WAIS and the EAIS

Driest and tallest continent

Question 4

What are the threats to Antarctica?

Answer 4

1. Fishing and Whaling:
   - Whaling began in the early 1900s
   - Became highly profitable and sations in south Georgia were established, ended in 1960s due to overkilling
   - The International whaling commission was set up in 1986 and a moratorium was placed on it
   - Now illegal to whale but Iceland and Norway still do for cultural reasons southern ocean whale sanctuary is 50million km² around Antarctica
   - Now fishing has replaced whaling especially for krill – a primary consumer so if caught too much will be detrimental for Antarctica
   - Non targeted fish are also caught in off catch
   - Fishing equipment dumped overboard
2. Climate Change:
   - WAIS in last 50yrs has risen by 3 degrees and is causing it to thin
   - Southern ocean temp risen by 1 degree since 1955
   - Antartica in its entirety if melted can raise sea level by 58 metres
   - If the thwaites glacier melts sea level will rise by 6.3m
   - The EAIS however hasn’t been effected as much, so people say this is evidence that climate change isn’t a problem - however recent discoveres have found that warmer water is seeping beneath the sheet at it’s grounding line causing accelerated melting
3. The search for minerals:
   - Commercial mining completely banned as part of the Antarctic treaty.
   - Minerals it contains are gold, titanium, nickel + many more.
   - Madrid protocol protects Antarctica from mineral extraction until 2048
4. Tourism + scientific research:
   - Impacts from vehicles, construction from buildings, runways-effects wildlife
   - Various types of tourism = seaborne, airborne, fly cruises
   - Most visit the Antarctic peninsula and visit historical + natural sites (Shackleton)
   - In the 1950s only a couple hundred visited but now annually 56,000 visit
   - Prices are cheaper due to IAATO but they have put rules in place 1. No ships larger than 500 2. 20 tourist for 1 tour guide 3. Code of behaviour 4. Each site can only be visited every 3-4 days.

Impacts of tourism: 1. Disturbance to wildlife, effects breading season, importing alien invasive species, oil spills from ships