Diplomacy on Ice

I recently read an interesting article in The Economist titled “Diplomacy on Ice.” It seems that nowhere on this precious planet is safe from the predatory pursuit of natural resources and competing national interests. You can read the full article here, but below is a summary.

The article discusses the fragile state of the Antarctic Treaty, which has governed Antarctica as a peaceful, cooperative, and non-commercial zone since 1961. Geopolitical tensions are increasing as countries act in their own interests to exploit Antarctica’s potential mineral, oil, and gas resources. According to the article, the treaty’s prohibition on resource exploitation could be challenged by 2048, or even sooner if countries ignore the rules. If the treaty collapses, unresolved territorial claims may resurface, threatening peace and stability in the region. China and Russia have expanded their presence on the continent with research bases that may have dual-use military capabilities.

The following are portions of the article that I found interesting:1

“Home to 40m penguins and a mere 1,000 people, the continent is owned by no one.”

“On October 25th an international conference tasked with preserving marine life in the Antarctic ended in acrimony as Russia and China vetoed every proposal. ‘Russia’s interest in constructive global co-operation is zero,’ said Cem Özdemir, Germany’s agriculture minister. And earlier this year America imposed sanctions on Russia’s Antarctic flagship, the research vessel Akademik Alexander Karpinsky, which has been surveying for oil and gas—pushing the boundaries of an international ban on exploiting the region’s resources.”

“In November India will assess designs for a third research station. Saudi Arabia joined the treaty club in May. Iran says it plans to open its first base, claiming ‘property rights’, even though it is not a party to the treaty.” 

“China’s strategy has been to employ dual-use technologies and facilities in order to improve the capabilities of the People’s Liberation Army, according to America’s defence department. One example is building ground stations for its Beidou satellite-navigation system, which can help make weather mapping, as well as missiles, more accurate. Yet America can hardly complain, since it first set up Antarctic stations for its own GPS navigation system in the 1990s.”

“Some are concerned that China’s newest base could collect signals-intelligence and telemetry from rockets launched in Australia and New Zealand.”

“A second motive behind the new scramble for the Antarctic is economic. For years the idea of mining the Antarctic seemed fanciful: it is cold, dangerous and far away. But global warming is making its waters more accessible and new technologies could make mining possible.”

“The continent is believed to hold vast deposits of oil, gas, copper and other valuable minerals, though quite how much is uncertain.”

“When the treaty was signed, seven countries—Britain and its former colonies, Argentina, Chile, France and Norway—had already grabbed almost all of the continent (see map). Since America and Russia did not recognize their claims and reserved the right to make their own ones, the treaty froze the status quo: it neither recognized nor disputed existing claims but prohibited countries from making new ones.”

Map: The Economist

I know that the 2024 United Nations Climate Change Conference, commonly known as COP29, is being held in Baku, Azerbaijan, from November 11 to 22, 2024.2 I doubt very much that world leaders will address concerns about the Antarctic Treaty.

It’s pretty cool for world leaders and their staff to travel to these conferences, rack up airline miles, and earn hotel reward points, but at some point, they need to have serious discussions and provide real solutions if we want to save our planet.   

  1. The Economist. “Intrigue, Greed and Hostility Burn in the Antarctic.” The Economist, 31 Oct. 2024, http://www.economist.com/international/2024/10/31/intrigue-greed-and-hostility-burn-in-the-antarctic.
    ‌ ↩︎
  2. https://unfccc.int ↩︎

71 thoughts on “Diplomacy on Ice”

  2. Unless some biggies have mal-intentions, there should be a consensus to extend the treaty beyond 2048. Since the region teems with natural resources, the countries with expansionist mindsets will try to venture in and exploit them. Hope they are outnumbered and outweighed.

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  3. Thanks lol! The blog is an older one.. of hodgepodge working through abuse.. fighting for social justice.. just got back on it.. but Green Writers Press will be publishing my first book Kadupel Flower sometime next fall. In it.. the the themes of social and environmental exploitation are explored. Your post reminds me some of it.. when submissions are open you might want to check it out. .. they publish nonfiction too and you never know.. you might be a fit:)

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  7. Articles like this have my heart aching, wishing we had great minds like those of Leonardo Da Vinci, Isaac Newton, and others who used their big brains to study nature, and could make important observations about what should be happening now. Maybe we do have brilliant minds at work, but they just aren’t vocal because of ridicule? I’m so disappointed in the world’s leaders and their money-grubbing ways. As someone else stated, it shouldn’t matter if a person believes in climate change or not, why is there no regard for nature and natural resources?

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    1. You’re so right, Rose. I struggle with the same question. Doing the right thing and saving our natural resources makes sense to me, so I’m not sure why there are so many who don’t care. The great minds you mentioned were from a time when social media and 24-hour news didn’t exist, and people were working hard all day to sustain their families while using natural resources wisely. So maybe that is the problem. People today are spending too much time scrolling through social media feeds and listening to propaganda on the news, feeding their individualistic egos and not caring for others or their surroundings.

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  8. The fact that they travel so much for these conferences while pretending to care about the planet is crazy. They go to the most expensive hotels, waste fuel on airplanes and then do nothing but talk about making changes without actually implementing anything.

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    1. It has, and it seems like it’s getting worse because new technology demands rare minerals, so countries are digging everywhere to find them. Now it’s not just oil and gas, we’re also adding minerals to the equation.

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  10. Hi Edward, I’m sorry to say that articles like this one fill me with despair. Why are humans such grasping and selfish creatures? We never seem to learn anything from our past or from the learned scientists who try to give us direction and guidance.

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    1. I know, it’s pretty sad. Selfishness is a real problem. People are only thinking about the economic benefits they have now and not considering the next generation. With the growing demand for new and advanced computer processors to support AI and Bitcoin, they are excavating everywhere in search of key minerals to build those fast computer chips. Not to mention the increased electricity needed to run computers generating Bitcoin. It’s just absurd.

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  12. the grand Chessboard factors only the greed of the powerful. I’ve watched documentaries on the players who do “scientific research” on the Continent. It’s strategic economic and military value is forefront of all discussions behind the scenes. And since there is no longer a single super power, things are becoming a bit fraught. It will be interesting to see which player blinks first on the issue of climate change.

    Another interesting article, Edward. Thank you for sharing.

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    1. Thank you, Nigel. I’m keeping an eye on how countries are reacting to climate change, and it doesn’t look promising due to greed. I think real scientists need to realize that world leaders aren’t going to solve the problem, and it’s up to people with big brains to come up with innovations to break this crazy cycle. I believe we’re spending way too much money trying to reach other planets instead of investing in solutions here on Earth. Then again, maybe they’re exploring other planets because they know Earth is in bad shape and are planning to move there.

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      1. Hmm.. that’s only a solution for the elite..us normal folks gotta figure out how to preserve what we have. Let the intellects make the call instead of the bankers, and I’m sure we can figure it out. 🙏

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        1. Now that you’ve mentioned the elite, maybe that’s the solution. Since they are the ones with multiple cars, houses, private jets, and yachts, perhaps we should send them to another planet so the rest of us can save ours by using resources more responsibly.

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              1. Lol.. I have a friend who says these guys cannot be human, as they’re always talking about leaving earth. I’m sure if they figure out a way to do it, they’d leave us all to rot down here.
                In the series Altered Carbon, the wealthy lived off world in near orbit.

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  14. That’s the problem, I think. All talk, no real action. Throw money at it, supposedly, but keep more money for myself. No one has been able to sway me that they would do a good job in actually making things better. The constant building and building here I. Florida has made it hotter than ever. Greed unfortunately, doesn’t seem like it will ever stop.

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    1. Thank you, Laura. Money definitely talks, and most of our decisions are based on it. I’ve noticed that about Florida, and some areas in Texas are getting out of control with construction also. Even one of the cities in our area is being impacted by this. There are so many houses that you can barely see any green spaces.

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      1. Yes, it’s getting out of control. I literally was just saying this too the other day. God forbid you have an open field or something, some “investor” will buy up the land and have to build something on it. A street I drive down everyday for work used to be practically empty, now it almost resembles I-95. Truly awful. And people wonder why I desire to escape into solitude 😆

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        1. No kidding. There is a city nearby where the only green spaces are two golf courses, an athletic park with a couple of baseball and soccer fields, and a dog park. The rest are houses, schools, and restaurants. Escaping all that to find solitude is necessary to stay sane.

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  15. Very interesting post, Edward! Mostly because it clearly reveals the greedy nature of modern humankind. A greed that surely doesn’t care for the planet as a whole. As Mahatma Gandhi wisely said, “The world has enough for everyone’s need, but not enough for everyone’s greed.” Loved your last paragraph, which pointed out well the real need for practical benevolent measures that consider the greatest good, planet included, beyond superficial and meaningless diplomacy. We can do so much better than this! Our so-called supremacy should give us the role of caring for all—people, animals, plants, ecosystems, and Earth! Thank you for sharing; I appreciate reading it! Lots of light and blessings to you, my friend; have a wonderful day*

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  17. I took my husband on a cruise to Alaska in 1999. We went to the glacier, which was a fabulous experience. Since then, I’ve seen this glacier in photos, and it continuously has dwindled to a small hill. Sad, sad, sad. Whether or not someone believes in global warming, why is there no respect for natural resources?

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  18. ” … as countries act in their own interests …” That seems to be what’s happening more and more now. The UN’s voice is getting weaker and weaker as the big boys don’t even pretend to play along anymore. Very, very sad. Human beings are not letting their better natures shine these days.

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  21. Like Liz, I think your last paragraph sums up how our leaders think! I suppose it’s not too fanciful to imagine that if serious drilling and mining do go ahead in the Antarctic (and the Arctic) then even more ice will melt and raise sea levels. Now who will be affected by that? Perhaps not those leaders in their ivory towers but you and me might be flooded out by sea level rises! Then with a reduction in the world’s population (?) perhaps the requirement for oil and gas and metals will no longer be required. Problem solved! No more climate change! 🤔

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