Antarctic problems on mineral resource activities and environmental protection

摘要

After 1960s the demand of mineral resources hasrapidly increased in industrially advanced countries. Since thecountries depend on mineral-abundant developing countries for themost required mineral resources, they have a wide-range mineralpolicy for securing mineral resources steadily. They, in suchstraitened circumstances, have special interest in deep-sea andAntarctic mineral resources. Although the potential of Antarcticmineral resources has been estimated with a wide uncertainty, itappears that the continent contains significant resources, as manyprevious investigators have pointed out.Antarctica is at present governed by the Antarctic Treaty, whichwent into effect of June 23, 1961. In June 1988, the ConsultativeParties of the Antarctic Treaty (CPAT) adopted the AntarcticMineral Resource Regime governing the exploration, developmentand production of Antarctic minerals. The Mineral Regime,however, was strongly resisted by international Non-GovernmentalOrganisations (NGOs) concerned with the conservation of theAntarctic environment. On the other hand, the Non-AlignedCountries declared in the General Assembly of the United Nationsthat any mineral regime on Antarctica, in order to be of benefit toall mankind, should be negotiated with the full participation of allmembers of the international community. The Antarctic MineralRegime, as well as the closed system of the Consultative Meetingby the CPAT, was censured also in many other conferences, e.g.the Conference of Heads of States or Governments of Non-Aligned Countries, the Council of Ministers of the Organisation ofAfrican Unity, the Council of Ministers of the League of ArabStates, and the Islamic Summit Conference.Thus, the Antarctic Mineral Regime once adopted was upset inNovember 1989. The CPAT instead adopted the Protocol onEnvironmental Protection in October 1991. The protocol, whichentered into force on January 14, 1998, prohibites any activityrelating to mineral resources, other than scientific research, inAntarctica at least for fifty years. In the period of the protocolnegotiation, some international environmental NGOs were invitedas observers to the Consultative Meeting and played importantroles as reliable partners of the CPAT in the constitution of the protocol.