Cold war powers in Antarctica

For the government issues in Antarctica i decided to choose how the cold war powers historically affected the region of Antarctica. By the end of the power struggle a treaty was created, it was called the Antarctic treaty, the treaty gave specific laws outlining the use of Antarctica's land. It provided laws that prohibited Antarctica's use for anything other than research. Superpower countries secured territories to study the effects of global warming but the race to secure land in antarctica became a battle for supremacy. The race to explore and dominate Antarctica was mainly between the two superpowers of the time, US and USSR, it was a battle for supremacy. Although it became a large part of the cold war it was actually the first arms control agreement established during the war. Leading up to the treaty was a more dangerous kind of power struggle. The nuclear war. This struggle never reached Antarctica but the threat was powerful enough to create a fear strong enough to implement the Antarctic treaty. The treaty helped establish a peaceful agreement between the countries concerning Antarctica and implemented scientific research by many different countries. Even though there was a tension between the superpowers to gain land the treaty allowed the tension to be weaponless and encouraged silent conflicts rather than the popular method of large dangerous weapons. Therefore, the theoretical dangers of the war became heightened because of Antarctica, gaining this territory would create a supreme power. But science overcame that issue when other major countries decided to put a stop to the Antarctic struggle and force a research based atmosphere in Antarctica. This solution did not eliminate the tension between the superpower but it forced the tension based around Antarctica to be pushed underneath the surface of dangerous warfare.

Whaling in Antarctica

Whaling is the hunting and killing of whales for their meat, oil, or bones. Whaling in Antarctic waters started in the mid 1930's but later in 1986 the International Whaling Commission banned commercial whaling. Then in 2014 the International Court of Justice told the Japanese to stop whaling. Whaling is a Japanese tradition but it was decided that only certain indigenous groups in Canada and Alaska are allowed to kill whales for their meat. Recently in March 2016 a Japanese whaling fleet killed 333 minke whales in Antarctic waters, there were 103 male and 230 female, 90% of the females were pregnant. They claimed that they killed the whales for scientific research. However a lot of the whale meat was sold commercially.Then in January 2017 photos were taken of a dead minke whale on a Japanese ship by the Sea Shepherd (an anti-whaling group). The Australian government was angry at Japan because they are opposed to whaling (it is illegal in Australia). While the Sea Shepherd is critical of Australia saying that Australia should be doing more to protect whales.

How Government Shutdowns Effect Antarctica

Despite the lack of government in Antarctica, government shutdowns have a significant effect on scientific research. In 2013, the United States government shutdown because congress was unable to decide on a budget for the new year. This shutdown occurred in October, which means it was spring in Antartica. A large amount of research takes place during the spring since there is daylight and it is warm enough to be outside. The Natural Science Foundation (NSF) is a government agency that funds the U.S. Antarctic Program. This shutdown caused U.S. research stations to go into caretaker mode, meaning all nonessential research activities were suspended. When researchers are forced to leave their stations, their research is put at risk. Some of these research projects have been ongoing for years. For example, Operation Ice Bridge involved an imaging machine carried by airplane so researchers could see changes in ice sheets. Operation Ice Bridge was put in jeopardy because researchers would be unable to track the changes over an extended period of time. In order to prove the trends of climate change, they must track it from year to year. Shutting down research stations, even temporarily, is a waste of money. All research stations are funded by the government. It costs eighty-five billion dollars to operate three stations. It is not cost effective to reopen stations once they've been closed since all of the supplies must be shipped back to Antarctica. As Antarctica is effected by climate change, it is incredibly important for researchers to track the changes. Government shutdowns make it impossible for researchers to have conclusive evidence in there research.

Works Cited Greenfieldboyce, Nell. “Even Antarctica Feels the Effects of the Government Shutdown,” NPR, 7 October 2013. www.npr.org/2013/10/07/230170093/even-antarctica-feels-the-effects-of-the-government-shutdown Oskin, Becky. “Government Shutdown: Chilling Effects on Antarctica Research,” Live Science, 7 October 2013. www.livescience.com/40237-antarctic-research-government-shutdown.html