Antarctic treaty under stress as member countries gather in Italy [Video]

For 65 years, an international treaty forged at the height of the Cold War has governed Antarctica. But with rising geopolitical tensions, consensus is increasingly hard to find.

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

“Now, both of those assumptions are being challenged.” 

Fifty-eight countries, including Canada, are signatories to the Antarctic Treaty, which preserves the continent for scientific exploration and peace, and bans military and mining activity. 

But only half the signatories can vote on treaty business. Canada wants to secure voting rights as a so-called consultative party, and will make its case again at the Antarctic Treaty meeting in Milan, Italy, later this month.

But there have been barriers to this. 

“Canada’s claim to be a consultative party has …