Of all the planets regions, Antarctica is the most inaccessible and the most desolate. In the past, people decided that Antarctica could be shared. But, as the world's natural resources have started to run out, more nations are looking towards Antarctica to replenish their stocks. Now the Antarctica is being looked at as a region with potential oil, coal and iron reserves and not one of just ice, penguins and whales. The area is likely to change from being a haven for scientific studies with international cooperation, to one of exploitation and confrontation. The U.S Antarctic research base has experienced decades of tranquil international cooperation and sharing. Some believe that the high level of cooperation is due to the hostility of the environment around them and also the common passion they have for their scientific studies. Admiral Richard Evelyn Byrd, a man remembered for his idealistic dreams as well as his achievements, has a small park dedicated to him at the McMurdo Headquarters of the National Science Foundation which runs the operations of U.S Antarctica. He was the first to fly across Antarctica and the South Pole and led five expeditions. He envisioned Antarctica as a region of International cooperation in science and as an example of a place where nations work together. But as we consume more of the Earth minerals and become more energy dependent are Byrd's idealistic practices likely to remain in tact? As a region of mineral resources the full potential of the Antarctic is not yet known, but there is a strong interest growing. The Antarctic was an issue for scientists to deal with but it is now one that politicians are taking more interest in. Virgin oil reserves and precious mineral resources are believed to exist in large quantities under the deep frozen treacherous land and dangerous seas. Virgin oil reserves and minerals are already known to exist in geologically similar regions of the planet. Exploratory offshore core drilling by the U.S has already provided data that supports the belief that hydrocarbon deposits do exist. The presence of large amounts of coal inland is already certain, along with concentrations of metal deposits which include lead, copper, nickel, uranium, gold, titanium, tin and chromium. The hostile environment of the Antarctic has, until now, made its exploitation to expensive to consider. As the prices if resources increase and new technology becomes available, businesses and governments have begun to see the benefits and the scientists and environmentalists are becoming more worried. The idea of exploiting Antarctica for minerals is something that worries many environmentalists all around the world because it is a region that has remained unspoilt and unpolluted by man. The Sierra club and the International Institute for Environment and Development are aware of the likelihood of a conflict between the exploitation of the region and the environment. They insist that any exploration of the minerals must also include studies of the effects exploitation will have on the environment. There is the concern however that the fact finding studies will cause the exploitation. Oil is the biggest worry because of the chances of a spill. Much of Antarctica's wildlife is concentrated along the coasts and could be seriously affected. Oil is known to not degrade or break up as easily in colder climates than in warmer ones, so a spill would be more damaging there than anywhere else. The Antarctic became a scientific preserve in 1959 under a landmark treaty and most of the activity there is controlled by the treaty. One of the things that the twelve nations who signed the treaty have managed to achieve is to keep the Antarctic free from militarization and nuclear weapon testing. Any overlapping claim to Antarctica territory has been side stepped by the treaty.
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Of all the continents, Antarctica is the coldest and inaccessible. It is the only continent that different nations agreed that they should share.
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