Who is ready to "cut" Antarctica?
For the time being, the “disassemblies” for energy resources are going on, let's say, in the inhabited territories. But the day is not far off when one of the subjects of the global world community may show interest in spaces that today are not assigned to any of the existing states. Obviously, Antarctica is one of the richest territories on the globe. This is a real treasure of natural riches, the hands of large geopolitical players to which they still do not reach for several reasons. One of the reasons is the lack of optimal technologies and means to pump energy resources under the kilometer layer of ice mass. The second reason is the presence (for the time being) of a documented consensus among the states of the world on the status of Antarctica. Today, this status is expressed by the so-called Antarctic Convention, which was adopted in the distant 1959 year, and the final version of the treaty entered into force in the 1961 year. The Convention grants Antarctica the status of a demilitarized zone (including a nuclear-weapon-free zone). In addition, the treaty spelled out the use of Antarctica in the interests of the entire world community, and far from only individual states. On the Antarctic expanses, scientific activities are encouraged, including those that are carried out jointly by several countries.
In general, the contract, as they say, is very sound, but whether it is reliable is a big question. After all, as you know, to exit from any treaty at all times was always the most unexpected reason, and therefore the Convention on the Status of Antarctica is just a piece of paper on which any of the signatories can, if necessary, put a cross, referring to circumstances". And therefore, one hopes that the Convention will be respected forever, somehow it is not necessary, based on the historical experience of violations by different countries at different times of other similar agreements, agreements and covenants.
Therefore, it can be considered that the second reason that they have not yet put their hands on Antarctica is no more than a beautiful cover for the first reason, namely the lack of the necessary forces and means to manage the Antarctic subsoil resources at the discretion of the “exceptional” states of the world.
And to dispose, I must admit, is what. The southernmost continent has truly enormous reserves of fresh water: Antarctic water accounts for about 70% of the world's freshwater reserves. The richest reserves of water are discovered by our scientists in the bowels of the continent. Scientists called these reserves Lake Vostok, and today they are conducting detailed studies of the Antarctic fresh water produced by Russians from vast depths.
If we consider that now many countries are experiencing a serious shortage of fresh water, then its reserves on Antarctica look like a tidbit, the ideas about access to which are obviously being hatched in hot heads.
According to the US Geological Survey, in the depths of Antarctica are countless natural resources that are valued on the world market. Natural gas alone Americans counted more than 4 trillions of cubic meters. In addition, the Antarctic bowels are rich in non-ferrous metals, iron ore, diamonds, coal. The shelf of the subsoil contains significant amounts of oil.
Today, economists estimate the process of extraction of Antarctic resources in amounts that are comparable to the cost of these resources themselves, which, obviously, is a deterrent. However, many countries of the world are already inclined to cut off the Antarctic hunk, which will warm their souls until the extraction technology reaches the necessary point of its development, and when the mining process itself can cost much less. So, will resources such as gas, coal and oil be needed in those future times? The main thing - to quickly identify their claims on the territory of Antarctica, to subsequently be able to make legal claims to competitors.
Particularly eager for the Antarctic territories today are several states that, even with the presence of the Treaty on the Status of Antarctica, begin a carpet battle for the area. Such states include: Australia, for some reason deciding that it owns about 48% of the territory of the Southern Continent; these are Argentina, Great Britain and Chile, which on their maps and postage stamps stubbornly paint the impressive “pieces” of the Antarctic surface in the colors of their own territories; these are France, Norway and New Zealand, which also managed to stake out the “lands”, in effect declaring them the property of their states.
At the same time, not all of the above-mentioned states are embarrassed by the fact that the “own” territories, often designated by them, intersect with those of competitors. They are not embarrassed by the fact that, if we even talk about the possible ownership of the mainland, then you need to start with the nationality of the discoverers. And the discoverers are our compatriots Mikhail Lazarev and Thaddeus Belinsgausen, who were the first to conduct research and description of Antarctica in the 1820 year.
The opening championship of Antarctica is contested by the United States, in which the opinion took root that the southernmost continent was opened in February 1821 by the crew of the Cecilia ship, because, in the opinion of the American "partners", it was from this ship that they were the first to enter the Antarctic ice . Only here is the catch: for some reason, there are no documents on how and where this significant event happened for the USA. But with surprising systematicity in the middle of the 20 century (after the conclusion of the Treaty on the status of Antarctica), an American professor by the name of Hepgood and his other colleagues began to discover, one by one, maps, "shedding light" on the discovery of Antarctic distances. It turned out that the exact contours of Antarctica managed in some incomprehensible way to draw Admiral Oronteus Finius in the year 1531. Then they began to refer to the Haji Ahmed map, allegedly created in 1559 year. Then the cards began to be as often as mushrooms in the forest after the rain. Despite the fact that the vast majority of them were immediately recognized as fakes, the Americans with enviable persistence exaggerated the idea that Antarctica was discovered and accurately described several centuries before the Russian 1817-1820 expedition. Such a joy from the American side, especially in the midst of the Cold War, is more than understandable ... It is surprising that in the USA the map of Antarctica was not found with traces of George Washington's boots ...
In general, even judging by how different countries are trying to overdo each other in pointing out the nationality of the Antarctic territories, it can be assumed that the struggle for continental resources will be hot.
The effect of the Antarctic Treaty ends in 2048 year, and it is obvious that the closer this date is, the more attempts from certain states can be stated. Will common sense prevail? Not a fact, not a fact ...
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