Bioprospecting in Antarctica and the Arctic. Common Challenges?

2009 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 145-174
Author(s):  
David Leary
Keyword(s):  
The Arctic ◽  
Polar Regions ◽  
Contact Group ◽  
Critical Issues ◽  
Recent Developments ◽  
History Of ◽  
Antarctic Treaty ◽  
The Antarctic ◽  
Antarctic Treaty System

Abstract Bioprospecting is occurring in the Arctic and Antarctica. This paper considers evidence on the nature and scale of bioprospecting in the Polar Regions. The paper then aims to draw out some of the critical issues in this debate by examining recent developments in the context of the Antarctic Treaty System. After an introduction to the history of the debate on bioprospecting in the Antarctic context it examines the recent Report of the Antarctic Treaty Consultative Meeting (‘ATCM’) Intersessional Contact Group to examine the issue of Biologocal Prospecting in the Antarctic Treaty Area tabled at ATCM XVII in Kiev in June 2008. The paper then concludes with some brief thoughts on the relevance of the Arctic experience to the debate in relation to Antarctica and whether or not there is an ‘Arctic Model’ for a response to the bioprospecting question in Antarctica. It is argued that rather than there being one Arctic model there is in fact a spectrum of models and experiences to choose from.

Do the Continental Shelf Developments Challenge the Polar Regimes?

2009 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 477-497
Author(s):  
Timo Koivurova
Keyword(s):  
Continental Shelf ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
Law Of The Sea ◽  
Polar Regions ◽  
Arctic Council ◽  
Antarctic Treaty ◽  
The Law ◽  
The Antarctic ◽  
Made In ◽  
Antarctic Treaty System

Abstract The article will provide a study of the continental shelf submissions that have been made in the polar regions and an evaluation as to whether these pose a challenge to the two polar regimes: the Arctic Council and the Antarctic Treaty System. This will be done by comparing these regimes, examining the development of the law of the sea as regards seabed rights and studying what sort of challenge the polar regimes face from the continental shelf activity in both polar regions and how serious that challenge is. Conclusions are finally drawn as to what types of effects may ensue for the polar regimes from the continental shelf submissions by various states.

scholarly journals BRICS in polar regions: Brazil’s interests and prospects

2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (3) ◽  
pp. 326-340
Author(s):  
Paulo Borba Casella ◽  
◽  
Maria Lagutina ◽  
Arthur Roberto Capella Giannattasio ◽  
◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Legal Regulation ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
Polar Regions ◽  
Arctic Council ◽  
Public Power ◽  
Promising Tool ◽  
Antarctic Treaty ◽  
International Power ◽  
Global Affairs ◽  
The Antarctic

The current international legal regulation of the Arctic and Antarctica was organized during the second half of the XX century to establish an international public power over the two regions, the Arctic Council (AC) and the Antarctic Treaty System (ATS), which is characterized by Euro-American dominance. However, the rise of emerging countries at the beginning of the XXI century suggests a progressive redefinition of the structural balance of international power in favor of states not traditionally perceived as European and Western. This article examines the role of Brazil within the AC and the ATS to address various polar issues, even institutional ones. As a responsible country in the area of cooperation in science and technology in the oceans and polar regions in BRICS, Brazil appeals to its rich experience in Antarctica and declares its interest in joining the Arctic cooperation. For Brazil, participation in polar cooperation is a way to increase its role in global affairs and BRICS as a negotiating platform. It is seen in this context as a promising tool to achieve this goal. This article highlights new paths in the research agenda concerning interests and prospects of Brazilian agency in the polar regions.

Governing the antipodes: international cooperation in Antarctica and the Arctic

Polar Record ◽  
2015 ◽  
Vol 52 (2) ◽  
pp. 230-238 ◽  
Author(s):  
Oran R. Young
Keyword(s):  
Effective Means ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
Polar Regions ◽  
Military Operations ◽  
Arctic Council ◽  
Governance Systems ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
The Face ◽  
Antarctic Treaty ◽  
The Antarctic

ABSTRACTThe Arctic and the Antarctic appear to be polar opposites with regard to many matters, including the systems of governance that have evolved in the two regions. Antarctica is demilitarised, closed to economic development, open to a wide range of scientific activities, and subject to strict environmental regulations under the terms of the legally binding Antarctic Treaty of 1959 along with several supplementary measures that together form the Antarctic Treaty System (ATS). The Arctic, by contrast, is a theatre of military operations, a site of largescale industrial activities, a homeland for sizable groups of indigenous peoples, and a focus of growing concern regarding the environmental impacts of human activities. The Arctic Council, the principal international body concerned with governance at the regional level, operates under the terms of a ministerial declaration that is not legally binding; it lacks the authority to make formal decisions about matters of current interest. Digging a little deeper, however, one turns up some illuminating similarities between the governance systems operating in the antipodes. In this article, I pursue this line of thinking, setting forth a range of observations relating to (i) the history of governance in the antipodes, (ii) institutional innovations occurring in these regions, (iii) issues of membership, (iv) jurisdictional concerns, (v) the role of science, (vi) relations with the UN system, (vii) institutional interplay, and (viii) the adaptiveness of governance systems in the face of changing circumstances. The governance systems for the polar regions are not likely to converge anytime soon. Nevertheless, this analysis should be of interest not only to those concerned with the fate of Antarctica and the Arctic but also to those seeking to find effective means of addressing needs for governance in other settings calling for governance without government.

Contaminants in the Arctic and the Antarctic: a comparison of sources, impacts, and remediation options

Polar Record ◽  
2003 ◽  
Vol 39 (4) ◽  
pp. 369-383 ◽  
Author(s):  
John S. Poland ◽  
Martin J. Riddle ◽  
Barbara A. Zeeb
Keyword(s):  
The Arctic ◽  
Resource Utilisation ◽  
Polar Regions ◽  
Chemical Contamination ◽  
The World ◽  
Site Restoration ◽  
History Of ◽  
Environmental Guidelines ◽  
Aerial Transport ◽  
The Antarctic

Contaminants, in freezing ground or elsewhere in the world, are of concern not simply because of their presence but because of their potential for detrimental effects on human health, the biota, or other valued aspects of the environment. Understanding these effects is central to any attempt to manage or remediate contaminated land. The polar regions are different from other parts of the world, and it would be naïve to assume that the mass of information developed in temperate regions can be applied without modification to the polar regions. Despite their obvious environmental similarities, there are important differences between the Arctic and Antarctic. The landmass of the Arctic is much warmer than that of the Antarctic and as a result has a much greater diversity and abundance of flora. Because of its proximity to industrial areas in the Northern Hemisphere, the Arctic also experiences a higher input of contaminants via long-range aerial transport. In addition, the Arctic, with its indigenous population and generally undisputed territorial claims, has long been the subject of resource utilisation, including harvesting of living resources, mineral extraction, and the construction of military infrastructure. The history of human activity in Antarctica is relatively brief, but in this time there has been a series of quite distinct phases, culminating in the Antarctic now holding a unique position in the world. Activities in the Antarctic are governed by the Antarctic Treaty, which contains provisions dealing with environmental matters. The differences between the polar regions and the rest of the world, and between the Arctic and the Antarctic, significantly affect scientific and engineering approaches to the remediation of contamination in polar regions. This paper compares and contrasts the Arctic and Antarctic with respect to geography, configuration, habitation, logistics, environmental guidelines, regulations, and remediation protocols. Chemical contamination is also discussed in terms of its origin and major concerns and interests, particularly with reference to current remediation activities and site-restoration methodology.

John Arnfield Heap, CMG

Polar Record ◽  
2006 ◽  
Vol 42 (3) ◽  
pp. 263-267
Author(s):  
Mike Richardson
Keyword(s):  
Polar Regions ◽  
Innovative Development ◽  
Polar Research Institute ◽  
Antarctic Treaty ◽  
The Stability ◽  
The Uk ◽  
The Antarctic ◽  
Antarctic Treaty System ◽  
Research Institute

John Heap's whole working career was one devoted to the polar regions, primarily the Antarctic — as scientist, then as a distinguished, internationally respected polar diplomat, and finally to holding the Directorship of the Scott Polar Research Institute in Cambridge (Fig. 1). Much of the stability and innovative development of the Antarctic Treaty System during the crucial period of the 1970s and 1980s can be attributed to Heap's long tenure as Head of the UK Delegation to successive Antarctic Treaty meetings.

Japan and 100 Years of Antarctic Legal Order: Any Lessons for the Arctic?

2015 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-54
Author(s):  
Akiho Shibata
Keyword(s):  
Learning Processes ◽  
Legal Order ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
Polar Regions ◽  
Mutual Learning ◽  
Arctic Regions ◽  
End Products ◽  
International Legal Order ◽  
History Of ◽  
The Antarctic

This paper examines whether core foundational principles can be distilled from the 100 years of history of the legal order-making in the polar regions. Despite differences in geo-physical, socio-historical, and legal circumstances conditioning the Antarctic and the Arctic regions, the examination of the processes of legal order-making in both polar regions demonstrates that there are some foundational principles being assessed and applied in designing their respective legal regimes. The identification of those core foundational principles would not necessarily lead to similar end products, nor would such examination necessarily advocate, for example, an Arctic Treaty System. This paper, instead, submits that between the Antarctic and the Arctic there are mutual learning processes already discernible at the foundational level of process legitimacy in international legal order-making. This examination also provides a broader framework to assess the existing literature that sees certain interactions between the two regimes at the level of substantive principles and rules.

Protecting Polar Wilderness: Just a Western Philosophical Idea or a Useful Concept for Regulating Human Activities in the Polar Regions?

2009 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 73-99 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kees Bastmeijer
Keyword(s):  
The Arctic ◽  
International Governance ◽  
Polar Regions ◽  
Arctic Council ◽  
Multilateral Environmental Agreements ◽  
Commercial Activities ◽  
Governance Systems ◽  
Antarctic Treaty ◽  
The Right ◽  
Antarctic Treaty System

Abstract This article focuses on the question to what extent wilderness protection receives attention in the international governance systems for the Polar Regions (Arctic Council and Antarctic Treaty System). First, on the basis of a definition of the term ‘wilderness’, the role of law in protecting wilderness is discussed. Next, attention is focused on wilderness protection in the Arctic and Antarctic. It is concluded that the international governance systems pay very little attention to the preservation of the Polar Regions as the last relatively untouched wildernesses on earth. The applicability of various multilateral environmental agreements (particularly the Arctic) is not very helpful in this respect as wilderness protection does not receive substantial attention in these legal instruments either. In view of the broad acknowledgement of the wilderness values of the Polar Regions and the fast increase of commercial activities in these regions, the author urges stakeholders involved in the Arctic Council and the Antarctic Treaty System to open the debate on relevant questions: What are wilderness values in the context of the Polar Regions and when would these values be affected? For the Arctic, how could wilderness protection be integrated in the efforts regarding sustainable development to ensure the right balance between wilderness protection and the protection of indigenous peoples rights? The questions are certainly complex; however, excluding these questions from the international governance debate with the argument that the concept is too vague, subjective or sensitive will most certainly result in a continuing loss of untouched nature, both in the Arctic and Antarctic.

scholarly journals Arctic and Antarctic scleractinian сorals. Comparisons, the similarities and differences

2019 ◽  
Vol 59 (3) ◽  
pp. 413-420
Author(s):  
N. B. Keller ◽  
N. S. Oskina ◽  
T. А. Savilova
Keyword(s):  
Morphological Characteristics ◽  
Wide Distribution ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
Polar Regions ◽  
High Latitudes ◽  
Antarctic Region ◽  
Stable Conditions ◽  
History Of ◽  
The Difference ◽  
The Antarctic

A comparison of the fauna of coldwater Scleractinia corals inhabiting the Polar regions of the Arctic and Antarctic revealed that in similar sub-zero temperatures of the surrounding waters, not only the character of the distribution of corals but also the number of species and their morphological characteristics in the Arctic and in the Antarctic radically different (in the sub-Antarctic region 17 coral species occure including 6 species endemic in the region, whereas the Arctic and high latitudes are inhabited by 2 species). We believe that the difference between these two faunas is due to the difference in geological history of these regions. In the southern hemisphere the formation of Circum-Antarctic currents ended the Neogene and in the sub-Antarctic region of stable conditions that existed millions of years that led to the formation of well-developed fauna scleractinia and the appearance of species endemic to this area. whereas in the Northern hemisphere hydrological stable conditions in high latitudes and the Arctic have existed since the beginning of the Holocene, approximately 11–12 thousand years, and when the colonization of corals by species of wide distribution.

scholarly journals Polityczne i prawne aspekty prowadzenia badań naukowych w rejonach polarnych

2019 ◽  
pp. 335-347
Author(s):  
Aleksander Świątecki ◽  
Dorota Górniak ◽  
Marek Zdanowski ◽  
Jakub Grzesiak ◽  
Tomasz Mieczan
Keyword(s):  
Legal Status ◽  
Arctic Region ◽  
Global Scale ◽  
International Community ◽  
Scientific Activity ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
The Political ◽  
Polar Regions ◽  
Antarctic Treaty ◽  
The Antarctic

The Arctic and Antarctic have been of great interest to the international community for a number of years. The still unresolved problem regardingpolar regions is the still partially regulated legal issues concerning the management of these areas. Both the Arctic and Antarctica are areas of potentiallygreat scientific, economic, political and military importance. The political and legal status of polar areas is not uniform. Currently, there is no legalinternational document that would regulate issues related to the management of the Arctic region. The political and legal status of Antarctica wasdetermined in 1959 in Washington. The Antarctic Treaty regulates in detail the activities in this region. Territorial claims are a particularly importantproblem. A number of countries prove their territorial rights to both the Arctic and Antarctic. The Arctic division is discussed within five countries,without the participation of the international community, while the Antarctic Treaty arrangements have put these issues on ice until 2049. Internationalcooperation in the field of research of polar regions has a long history and is confirmed by bilateral and international agreements. Conducted researchin the Arctic and Antarctic relate to various scientific problems. Investigations of processes taking place on Earth on a global scale are of particularimportance, both in historical and prognostic perspective. The history of Polish polar research is rich, multi-faceted and dates back to the second half ofthe nineteenth century. Contemporary Polish polar research focuses on a number of problems: glaciology and periglacial phenomena, climatology,geomorphology, hydrology, and geo-ecosystems dynamics. Polish scientific activity, in these regions, significantly develops our positive relations withthe international community.

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