Antarctic treaty under stress as member countries gather in Italy

For 65 years, an international treaty was falsified at the height of the Cold War ruled the Antarctic. But with increased geopolitical tensions, consensus is increasingly difficult to find.

“Until a few years ago, we talked about the Antarctic Treaty as a framework of peace and stability in the Antarctic region, and the Arctic as a relative place of stability,” said David Hik, chief scientist of Polar Knowledge Canada, an agency focused on the strengthening of polar sciences and technology in Canada.

“Now these two hypotheses are disputed.”

Fifty-eight countries, including Canada, are signatories Antarctic treatywhich preserves the continent for scientific exploration and peace, and prohibits military and mines activities.

But only half of the signatories can vote on the cases of the treaties. Canada wants to obtain voting rights as a so-called advisory party, and will prove itself at the meeting of the Treaty in Antarctica in Milan, Italy, later this month.

But there have been obstacles to that.

“Canada’s claim to be an advisory party was blocked, above all, by Russia,” said Klaus Dodds, political biographer and Antarctica expert in Royal Holloway, University of London. “And the reason is that Russia wants its ally, the Belarus is made an advisory party alongside Canada.”

In March, an entirely Canadian first expedition sailed in Antarctica on the HMCS Margaret Brooke, with 15 polar scientists organized by the Canadian Navy. The Canadian Mission in Antarctic Research (Care) 2025 Mission has led weeks of research and visited several countries of research in the country on the continent, in part to enhance the profile of Canada to the South Pole. CBC News obtained Exclusive access to shipping.

To capture the international CBC travel climate correspondent, Susan Ormiston, producer Jill English and videographer Sam Martin spent a month on board the Brooke Brooke live from Margaret Brooke via Satellite, returning news from travel to Canada.

Hunting climate change indices in Antarctica

The polar regions change faster than other parts of the world, due to climate change.

The ancient glaciers of Antarctica are smuggled and sea ice has reached almost record stockings this year, which both contribute upon world sea level.

“The antarctic ice cap contains enormous amounts of fresh water, and as the ice cap is thinned and melts in places, calves at faster rates, this will affect the change in world sea level,” said Thomas James, chief scientist of the Care 2025 mission.

“What is happening in Antarctica does not stay in Antarctica,” he added.

The South Ocean is a huge carbon well and helps regulate the world climate. But warming ocean waters can disrupt these models, said Brent Else, co-scientific director of Meopar, who supports research and ocean training in Canadian universities.

“While the oceans warm as the traffic models are changing, it is expected that the ocean carbon well will slow down over time. And the polar regions are the areas where these carbon wells are the most important,” he said on board the Margaret Brooke HMCS.

Canada Monitoring security problems in polar regions

Canada is a polar nation and, with increasing concerns concerning sovereignty in the Arctic, the government is Stimulate military presence in the north.

“Canada is, and will always be an arctic nation, and we can never take our sovereignty and security in the region for acquired,” Prime Minister Mark Carney said during a visit to Iqaluit in March.

A year ago, the Canadian Royal Navy began to plan a deployment in Antarctica to support scientific exploration and improve its knowledge of geopolitical pressures at the South Pole.

“We can see climate change in the North, we can see what China and Russia have done in and around the North Canadian, [and thinking] I wonder what’s going on in the South Pole, and [can we] Get the perspective and experience of South American navies that are here all the time, “Vice-Admiral Angus Topshee told CBC News in an exclusive interview.

The idea, he said, was to “do science and see if we can understand things that can help us better protect and defend our own North”.

Topshee believes that there are security problems in Antarctica that threaten its stability.

“”I fear that the whole agreement we would not be [militarize and mine Antarctica] … Could, could change. And I do not think that it is in our interest to allow this to change easily. “”

‘At night, that’s always what you can’t see’

To travel through the Antarctic Circle, HMCS Margaret Brooke sailed in extreme weather conditions and ice channels.

As an arctic and offshore patrol ship (AOPV), it is designed to pierce a new ice to a meter thick. But with rapid weather conditions, the ice moves and changes, so that a canal open one day can be obstructed with the next ice.

A specialist in the Coastal Guard, Donavan Tremblay, and a Chilean Navy officer, Javier Idiavez, traveled with the crew of Margaret Brooke to help trace a safe way. Despite this, there were unexpected blockages and navigation at night presented even more challenges.

On the way to Rothera, point beyond the Antarctic circle, while time deteriorated and the enconeed ice, CMDR. Teri Share had to make a decision on the opportunity to proceed.

“It was an increased level, absolutely,” said Share to CBC News from the captain’s neighborhoods on the Margaret Brooke.

“We can take all the precautions that we can take. We can use all the information provided to us. But still, it happens that it is on me as commander to say yes or no.”

In the end, Share made the call to push further south, the crew filming the ship through icebergs and sheets in leaf to reach Rothera Point, the final destination of the ship and the southernmost point that the Canadian Navy has ever traveled.

“It’s like yesterday that you and I were on the bridge, and you asked me what [is the Navy] I’m going to do there and what was excited, “Share at Susan Ormiston said CBC.

“It went very quickly,” said Share, reflecting on the historical mission.

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