Why it was important to sign a treaty for Antarctica and what was the agreement about? How can we be sure the countries that signed the treaty will stick by the agreement?

Antarctica is the southernmost place on Earth, it is larger than the United States and 95% of it is covered with ice. The ice, at places 5 kilometers thick and it never melts. At least that is what we thought, but let us keep it that way for now.

The ice seems to be alive as it works its way towards the sea. Here it forms an ice shelf over the water. The edge breaks away from the shelf and plunges into the sea. From here it drifts. Now big pieces of ice become icebergs that can be 160km long. They now drift north until they eventually melt and become part of the ocean. This process is part of a bigger process which in turn forms a cooling system for the Earth. So important that no country could be allowed to dominate or control this area. The treaty signed by 12 countries at first and later joined by more, was to prevent one country harming the planet with irresponsible behavior.

The treaty basically states that:

Antarctica can be used for peaceful purposes only

No country may build a military base there.

No country may do a nuclear test there.

No country may dump nuclear waste there.

Scientists working there will share their information.

Additional rules are there to protect the penguins and seals.

No dogs may run loose.

No plane may land near large groups of animals.

No guns, explosives and tractors may be used near the animals.

Most important is that every member can inspect any of the other bases if it suspects that the treaty rules are being broken.

In 1972 rules were drawn up to include hunting on the pack ice as that is not considered part of the continent. Of all the animals whales are the least protected and countries like Japan and Russia kill thousands of whales.

While the treaty is not fool proof it does play a very important part in the protection of Antarctica. The more people become aware of the effect the pollution has on this region the bigger the pressure will be on Governments to change the way they look at pollution.

While the Poles will always be less crowded it is important to remember that the more people you allow to visit the place the more rules you must have in place. The world scientist community seemed to have realized that early enough. If ice is your passion go and visit the place but leave nothing but footprints. Find a Russian Ice Breaker that can take you there safely. Other options can be found in Chile and South America. You can also visit ice regions which surrounds the North Pole. The South Pole is not that accessible.

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