Antarctica
Charting new paths for Antarctic protection despite China’s resistance
Calls to renegotiate the agreements that govern the Antarctic, out of frustration at China’s and Russia’s opposition to establishing new areas for protection, would only put at…
Krill campaign less than thrilling
Sea Shepherd, the environmental activist group renowned for taking on Japanese whalers in remote waters around Antarctica, has a new target. Its latest campaign is against krill…
A jurisdiction over the high seas
After nearly two decades of discussion and negotiation, on 5 March the United Nations announced a new agreement on the conservation and sustainable use of marine biological…
The end of Antarctic exceptionalism?
Moscow’s latest invasion of Ukraine has turned Vladimir Putin’s Russia into a pariah state, essentially overnight, and seen the country saddled with an unprecedented international…
Not so quiet on the Southern Front
Antarctica, as one of the largest shared spaces on the planet, represents an emerging nexus of geostrategic competition. Australia may have reason to be troubled by this. As a…
Cold front: Antarctica and its military future
Book Review: The Future of Antarctica: Scenarios from Classical Geopolitics, by J McGee, D Edmiston and M Haward (Springer, 2022)
For a place that is agreed by treaty to be used…
Opportunity lost: Australia’s Antarctic aerodrome cancelled
The Australian government has cancelled the proposed aerodrome near Davis station in the Australian Antarctic Territory (AAT), emphasising environmental concerns but probably more…
China and the future of the Antarctic mining ban
China’s fast-growing logistical and scientific capability in Antarctica and more active participation in Antarctic affairs continue to draw attention and scrutiny. In recent years…
A Cold War deal on ice: The Antarctic Treaty at 60
The Antarctic Treaty is celebrating an important anniversary.
Negotiated in 1959, the treaty entered into force on 23 June 1961. The first meeting of the treaty parties was held…
The Davis aerodrome and Australia’s leadership in the Antarctic
Since the Davis aerodrome project in Antarctica was proposed in 2018 by the Australian government, there have been continuing debates about the potential environmental costs,…