A few weeks after the Arctic Council, which was held at the end of May in Iceland, all eyes are now on the other side of the planet.
From June 15 to 24, 54 countries have come together under the aegis of Paris for the meeting of the Antarctic Treaty.
In the collective imagination, this continent of 14 million km ² is only an immense frozen expanse, without a living soul.
However, each austral summer, between November and April, it sees thousands of scientists arrive, attracted in particular by its extraordinary ecological wealth.
But above all, it holds a central place in the question of global warming.
Around the negotiating table, it will therefore be a question of cooperating for the protection of flora and fauna, of discussing ongoing research or even agreeing on the management of tourism.
A sanctuary territory
Unlike the Arctic, Antarctica does not belong to anyone - or everyone.
The Antarctic Treaty, signed in 1959, freezes all territorial claims for the benefit of scientific research.
In other words, the militarization of the continent is prohibited and the signatory states are committed to cooperate for science and environmental protection.
>> To read also: "How did the Arctic become a major geostrategic stake?"
"As a challenge for this cooperation, the 54 signatory countries of the treaty meet each year to discuss the measures to be adopted", details Mikaa Mered, professor of geopolitics of the poles at Sciences Po and HEC, joined by France 24. "Only 29 of among themselves, the founding members have the right to vote. Among them, many European countries, but also Asian countries such as South Korea, Japan and of course China, "he said.
As the data on global warming become increasingly alarming, this cooperation seems more necessary than ever. According to an international study published in February 2020, melting ice in the region is expected to contribute to a maximum sea level rise of 58 cm during the current century. And if the planet has already gained more than 1 ° C since the pre-industrial era because of the increase in greenhouse gas emissions, Antarctica is warming twice as fast.
"It is in the interest of all mankind that Antarctica, for which we have collective responsibility, remain forever reserved for only peaceful activities and never become the ground of international disputes", noted in a forum published in the newspaper Le Monde, Isabelle Autissier, honorary president of the World Wide Fund for Nature WWF-France and navigator and Olivier Poivre d'Arvor, ambassador for the Maritime Poles and Issues and president of the National Maritime Museum.
Chinese scientific bases at the center of debates
Among the subjects which should animate these ten days of debates: the new scientific bases which Turkey and China wish to build.
"In theory, before embarking on such a construction, it is necessary to have the agreement of the other countries, on the basis of discussions on the environmental impact that this could have", explains Mikaa Mered.
Thus, Turkey, which wishes to open its first scientific base, saw its project rejected for the first time by its peers.
"This should be discussed again with a view to a vote at the next meeting, in 2022", continues the professor.
The case of China is much more problematic. "Ignoring any procedure, Beijing began in 2018 the construction of its fifth scientific base without submitting any environmental study to other nations," says the pole specialist. "One of the purposes of this meeting will be to discuss the establishment, or not, of a sanctions regime."
“Since the early 2000s, China has continued to strengthen its presence in the poles,” he continues.
Today, for example, the country is the third most expensive nation in the world, in terms of public funding, for scientific research in Antarctica.
Concretely, this translates into around 600 researchers spread over four, and therefore soon five stations, installed on the continent.
"By asserting itself in the scientific field, Beijing wants to show its power internationally", further analyzes the specialist.
A Chinese scientific base, in Antarctica, in March 2014. © AFP - VANDERLEI ALMEIDA
Moreover, the fourth Chinese base, Kunlun, is located at the highest point of Antarctica, at the top of Dome A. "An area where only the Chinese have managed to get to for the moment, and which overlooks everything else. Symbolically, the objective is very clear ", according to Mikaa Mered.
But the construction of a new scientific base, which should open in 2022, could go beyond scientific and geopolitical issues.
For good reason, the area where it is to be built is known to conceal hydrocarbons and minerals.
If for the moment the extraction of mineral resources is strictly prohibited by the Madrid Protocol of 1991, this region could in the long term have a major commercial stake.
More and more tourists
Second big subject expected at the negotiating table, the management of tourism on the white continent.
If we make an exception to the last two years disrupted by the Covid-19, tourism has exploded in Antarctica since the beginning of the 2000s. Today, many tour operators, the French cruise line Ponant in the lead, ply the waters of the Antarctic.
"Americans are the main contingent of tourists in the region," notes Mikaa Mered.
"But in recent years, they have been joined by more and more Chinese," he continues.
"This is becoming a major issue, especially since 98% of these tourists arrive in Antarctica through Latin America, crossing areas claimed by Chile and Argentina," he analyzes.
The thorny issue of marine protected areas
Finally, behind the scenes, the thorny issue of marine protected areas should also occupy the conversations.
For eight years, France has been calling for the protection of two areas in the Weddell Sea and in East Antarctica.
If the majority of countries support the project, Russia and China, major fishing nations, are still hindering it.
However, in these waters lives krill, which serves as the main food of seals, some penguins and many other animals.
If too much fishing pressure is put on these small shrimp, its predators are in danger and can no longer feed.
The food chain would be turned upside down.
"The Southern Ocean, which borders Antarctica, constitutes an extraordinary ecological wealth and plays a key role for the climate: it contributes nearly 75% to the overall absorption of excess heat and 35% to the sequestration of CO2 captured by the global ocean. As the main heat accumulator and carbon sink, it also plays an important role in the production of oxygen ", insisted Isabelle Autissier and Olivier Poivre d'Arvor. "Its protection is therefore proving to be a key link in the fight against the impact of climate change and the preservation of biodiversity."
#RCTA |
France 🇫🇷 is organizing the 43rd edition of the #Antarctic Treaty Consultative Meeting from June 14 to 24.
Objective 👉continue to work to protect this white continent ❄️, a land of peace dedicated to Science.
Find out more: https://t.co/XtPCjuA884@O_Poivre_dArvor pic.twitter.com/XMKZK2z4qn
- France Diplomacy🇫🇷 (@francediplo) June 10, 2021
"The creation of these two protected areas will not be put to a vote during this summit," recalls Mikaa Mered.
We will have to wait for the meeting of the Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR), scheduled for October.
There is no doubt that the subject, symbol of the importance of cooperation on the environmental issue, will however be on everyone's mind.
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