The Antarctic Minerals Regime and its Environmental Impact

• Published in: Leiden Journal of International Law
• Main Author: Visser, Aukje
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Cambridge University Press (CUP) 1988
• Subjects: Law; Political Science and International Relations; Antarctic; The Antarctic; Antarc*; Antarctica
• Online Access: http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s0922156500000856; https://www.cambridge.org/core/services/aop-cambridge-core/content/view/S0922156500000856

On June 2, 1988, the Convention on the Regulation of Antarctic Mineral Activities was concluded after several years of negotiations. Starting with a review of the 1959 Antarctic Treaty, the author discusses the new Convention and the organs it has created. Special attention is paid to the possible impact of mineral activities to the unique environment of Antarctica, and the safeguards which are offered by the Convention in this respect. According to the author, it can be doubted whether the regime's institutions will adequately account for the environmental consequences of mineral activities.