Antarctica- Resource Exploitation.

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Evil!
Antarctica- Resource Exploitation.
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What links the following?
France
Norway
Argentina
Nazi Germany, between 1939-1942
Australia
Chile
United Kingdom
Which is the odd one out?
New Zealand
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Who owns the South Pole?
Scott-Amundsen Research Station.
In reality, no one country. The United States
does maintain a scientific base at the South
Pole. This has been the cause of much discussion,
particularly over the neutrality of the continent
during the Cold War. Why was the United States
allowed to do this?
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Mapping the contested continent.
Lines should be drawn from the South Pole.
France Adelie Land
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A problem here...
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Antarctica claims
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What do you notice?

• From the previous exercise you should have
  noticed that
• Antarctica is a contested continent.
• That there are significant overlaps on the
  territory claimed.

Anyone missing?
The United States and Russia, both reserve the
right to claim territory if they see fit. China
has not delivered a position on the subject.
United States
Russia
China
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Why the fuss?

• There are a number of reasons why countries may
  wish to have territorial claims
• Antarctica is rich in natural resources.
  Presently mineral resources can not be exploited,
  though could this be a possibility in the
  future.(?)
• It is a unique environment to collect scientific
  data. The scientific community is highly
  competitive, it may give a country the edge
  over another, and result in economic success.
• It provides the country with a strategic position
  in the Southern Hemisphere, think the United
  Kingdom and the Falklands Islands.
• National pride and history. Is there any point in
  the United Kingdom maintaining a claim to
  Antarctica?

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How is Antarctica managed?
With a number of different countries all claiming
territory in Antarctica, and others wanting to
claim territory, a system was needed. The
Antarctica Treaty System was agreed and signed in
1961. It is basically a number of Treaties that
have been agreed on by signatory countries, that
state how the continent should be managed and
developed.
US Stamp celebrating the 1961 treaty.
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Signatories to the Antarctic Treaty.
Any patterns here?
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Homework
Check out Ebay!
Create a set of five postage stamps to celebrate
the United Kingdoms signatory of the Antarctic
Treaty. Each stamp should represent an article
from the Treaty. Remember to include the Queens
head! You can draw your stamps, or produce them
via ICT.
http//search.ebay.com/antarctic-treaty-stamps_W0Q
QfromZR40
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Antarctica- Resource Exploitation.
Focus on Minerals.
Antarctica potentially has a huge number of
natural resources that can be exploited. A
natural resource is from the environment and can
be exploited by humans to their advantage. It has
value. One such natural resource found in
Antarctica is oil. But there is a moratorium on
exploiting mineral resources under the Madrid
Protocol. It was signed in 1991 by the
signatories to the Antarctic Treaty, this bans
mining, but is due for review in 2041.
What other resources are there?
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Random Resources.
Krill
Small, clear, shrimp like organisms that feed on
plankton. Krill is Norwegian for whale food.
Used by the Japanese as a foodstuff, but also
widely used as bait by anglers and food in
aquariums.
Chromium
Used in a variety of industrial processes,
including steel production, tanning and as an
anti-corrosive
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Is it worth it?
Would there be any point in extracting minerals
from Antarctica?
What problems would there be?

• Extracting the minerals from below the thousands
  of metres of ice would be an issue.
• The quality and abundance of some of the
  minerals, means extraction would not be
  cost-effective.
• Machinery is likely to malfunction in the
  extreme temperatures.
• It would be difficult to import workers and
  machinery, and export the minerals in winter
  conditions.
• The working conditions would be damn awful!

Other problems?
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Is it worth it?
Future
But conditions in the future may make resource
exploitation cost-effective.
Conditions that may lead to exploitation

• If natural resources run out, their price will
  increase, this may make drilling for say oil,
  more cost-effective.
• Many of the worlds natural resources are
  located in politically unstable regions, not a
  problem in Antarctica! (?)
• Global warming is likely to have a huge impact
  on the continent. Melting ice sheets would make
  extraction easier and people would be less
  concerned about the environmental impact (?)
• Changing climate conditions would also make
  working on the continent, potentially easier.

Next stop Krill
Other reasons?