Brown, Jon Brow
21st June 2007, 11:11
......wilderness.
The only place on Earth without an indigenous population, the worlds largest desert and plays a vital role in the Earths climate.
But it is thought that under the ice it holds the largest fields of Oil and coal on the planet. However since 1998 they have been protected by the Antarctic Environmental Protocol, which prohibits any mineral extraction.
But this ends in 50 years time. By then all of our other oil fields may have run dry, so would you favour exploiting Antarctica's reserves?
My main query is who has rights to the oil? The 1959 Antarctic Treaty prevents any country from holding territorial rights to Antarctica, even though nations like Britain, Norway and Argentina claim territory, they aren't recognised.
But would it be moral to exploit Antarctica?
The only place on Earth without an indigenous population, the worlds largest desert and plays a vital role in the Earths climate.
But it is thought that under the ice it holds the largest fields of Oil and coal on the planet. However since 1998 they have been protected by the Antarctic Environmental Protocol, which prohibits any mineral extraction.
But this ends in 50 years time. By then all of our other oil fields may have run dry, so would you favour exploiting Antarctica's reserves?
My main query is who has rights to the oil? The 1959 Antarctic Treaty prevents any country from holding territorial rights to Antarctica, even though nations like Britain, Norway and Argentina claim territory, they aren't recognised.
But would it be moral to exploit Antarctica?