Antarctic treaty under stress as member countries in Italy

For 65 years, an international treaty forged at the height of the Cold War has controlled Antarctica. But with increasing geo -political stresses, it is difficult to find the consensus.

“Until 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,” Polar Knowledge Canada Chief Scientist David Hick said, an agency that focused on strengthening polar science and technology in Canada.

“Now, both those perceptions are being challenged.”

Signators of twenty -eight countries including Canada are Antarctic TreatyWhich protects the continent for scientific exploration and peace, and banning military and mining activity.

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

But there are obstacles in it.

“The claim of being an advisory party in Canada is the first and most important by Russia,” said Claus Dods, a political biography and Antarctic expert at Royal Holowway, University of London. “And the reason for this is that Russia wants his colleague Belarus to be made a consultant party with Canada.”

In March, a first-all-canadian campaign left for Antarctica on HMCS Margaret Brook, with 15 polar scientists organized by the Canadian Navy. The Canadian Antarctic Research Expedition (CARE) 2025 Mission organized the research week and visited the continent of research stations on the continent, to increase the Canadian profile on the southern pole. CBC News Found Special access to the campaign.

To capture the Yatra CBC’s international climate correspondent Susan Ormiston, producer Jill English and videographer Sam Martin rode vigilantly through Margaret Brook Broadcasting Live in a month, with the news of the journey in Canada.

Hunting for climate change clues in Antarctica

Polar regions are rapidly changing than other parts of the world due to climate change.

The ancient glaciers of Antarctica are repeated and sea ice reached near the nearly-ridden climb, which contributes to the growing global sea levels.

“Antarctic ice sheet contains huge amounts of fresh water, and melts in places in the form of snow sheet, rapidly calves, it is going to affect the change in global sea level,” said Thomas James, the chief scientist of The Care 2025 mission.

“What happens in Antarctica does not live in Antarctica,” he said.

The southern ocean is a huge carbon sink and helps to regulate the global climate. But heating the sea water can disrupt those patterns, the co-scientific director in the mper, Brent, who supports ocean research and training in Canadian universities.

“When the ocean is hot as patterns, it is expected that the ocean carbon sink will slow down over time. And polar regions are the areas where they are the most important carbon sinks,” they said in HMCS Margaret Brook.

Safety concerns monitoring in Canada polar regions

Canada is a polar nation and, with increasing concerns over sovereignty in Arctic, is the government Promote military appearance in the north.

Prime Minister Mark Carney said on the Ekalute’s visit in March, “Canada and forever will be an Arctic nation, and we can never take our sovereignty and safety in this field.”

A year ago, the Royal Canadian Navy began planning to deploy Antarctica to support scientific exploration and increase its knowledge of geopolitical pressure on the southern pole.

“We can see climate change in the north, we can see what China and Russia are doing in and around the Canadian north, (and thinking) I wonder what is going on in the South Poll, and (what we) can get perspective and experience of South American Navy, which are below here,” Vice-Admiral Angus Topsee said in CBC news.

He said that the idea, “Some science had to be done, and see if we can find out things that can help us to protect and protect our answer.”

Topshee believes that Antarctica has security concerns that endanger its stability.

,I worry that the whole agreement we will not do (Antarctica and my Antarctica) … can change. And I do not think it is in our interest to change it easily. ,

‘Night time is always what you can’t see’

To travel in the Antarctic Circle, HMCS Margaret Brooke left for some extreme weather and snow -filled channels.

As an arctic and offshore patrol vessel (AOPV), it is designed to break through new ice up to one meter thick. But with the rapidly changing weather patterns, ice moves and shifts, so that one day an open channel can be filled with the next snow.

The Canadian Coast Guard, an ICE expert from Donavan Trampl, and an officer with Xavier Idecase, traveled with Margaret Brooke Crew to help a safe route chart. Nevertheless, there were unexpected obstacles, and navigating at night made even more challenges.

The route beyond the Antarctic circle for the Rothera point, such as the weather deteriorated and the encroachment of snow, CMDR. Terry Share had to decide whether to move forward.

“It was an elevated level, of course,” the share told CBC News from Captain’s quarters on Margaret Brook.

“We can take all the precautions we can take. We can use all the information that are provided to us. But still, a point comes to say yes or not for me as a commanding officer.”

Finally, the stock called to push the south further, the ship with the crew, the vessel and sheet ice through the ice, to reach the final destination of the ship, and the most point Canadian Navy ever traveled.

“It seems that you and I were on the bridge yesterday, and you were asking me what was going to do there (Navy), and what I was excited about what I was excited about.”

“It is really quickly gone,” the share said, reflecting the historical mission.

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