After much lobbying by representatives of the Shackleton School in Athy, the Tom Crean Society, Scott Polar Institute plus many more individuals and groups, the path leading Ireland closer to joining the treaty has now been laid down with it officially recognised in the new programme for government agreed on the 10th October 2009, programme text excerpt below:
Antarctic Treaty: Join with other nations in giving support to the worldwide effort to protect the Antarctic through ratifying the Antarctic Treaty.
They Treaty meet annually and Irelands position on the Treaty will be put forward in 2010.
Chris Wilson of Wildside reports:
“Mary White TD, the Deputy-Leader of the Green Party as she spoke last Sunday 25th October 2009 at the Ernest Shackleton Autumn School in Athy, Co Kildare (now in its 9th year) and confirmed that Ireland is to sign the Antarctic Treaty as a tribute to Sir Ernest Shackleton, Tom Crean and other Irish polar explorers.”
Existing Antarctic Treaty summary below and on their website click here
The Antarctic Treaty was signed in Washington on 1 December 1959 by the twelve countries whose scientists had been active in and around Antarctica during the International Geophysical Year (IGY) of 1957-58. It entered into force in 1961 and has since been acceded to by many other nations. The total number of Parties to the Treaty is now 47.
Some important provisions of the Treaty :
Antarctica shall be used for peaceful purposes only (Art. I)
Freedom of scientific investigation in Antarctica and cooperation toward that end … shall continue (Art. II)
Scientific observations and results from Antarctica shall be exchanged and made freely available (Art. III)
Among the signatories of the Treaty were seven countries – Argentina, Australia, Chile, France, New Zealand, Norway and the United Kingdom – with territorial claims , sometimes overlapping. Other countries do not recognize any claims. The US and Russia maintain a “basis of claim ”. All positions are explicitly protected in Article IV, which preserves the status quo:
No acts or activities taking place while the present Treaty is in force shall constitute a basis for asserting, supporting or denying a claim to territorial sovereignty in Antarctica or create any rights of sovereignty in Antarctica. No new claim, or enlargement of an existing claim to territorial sovereignty in Antarctica shall be asserted while the present Treaty is in force .
To promote the objectives and ensure the observance of the provisions of the Treaty, "All areas of Antarctica, including all stations, installations and equipment within those areas … shall be open at all times to inspection " (Art. VII).
Some info taken from plus more available from the Shackleton School in Athy, Co Kildare and also Chris Wilsons copyrighted work on Wildside Website
