Antarctic Treaty

Catherine said: "The Antarctic Treaty is in place to protect and support the scientific progress and preservation of the continent and there are strict regulations around contamination.

For the purposes of the Antarctic treaty system, Antarctica is defined as all of the land and ice shelves south of 60degS latitude.

In Antarctica, rules and norms are governed by the 1959 Antarctic Treaty, signed by the twelve signatories that were active in the region at the time.

The Antarctic Treaty was originally signed by twelve countries whose scientists worked on Antarctica in the late 1950s.

The Antarctic Treaty was signed in October the next year and ratified in 1961 by the twelve national agencies involved in Antarctica.

Shortly after China founded the Great Wall Station, it gained the consultative status under the Antarctic Treaty, meaning it gained the right to vote in Antarctic affairs.

First, during the Pre-Reform Period (1950s-78), PRC efforts to join the Antarctic Treaty System (ATS) were thwarted by a combination of domestic challenges and Cold War geopolitics, best exemplified by the acceptance of the Republic of China (ROC) as the legitimate representative of the Chinese nation in the UN.

Antarctic treaty (1957), Hotline Agreement (1963), ABM treaty (1972), Strategic arms limitations talks SALT-I (1972), SALT-II (1979), Biological Toxic Weapon Convention-BTWC (1972), Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty-START I-II(1991-1993), Comprehensive Test ban Treaty-CTBT (1993), Chemical Weapons Convention- CWC (1997) and Fissile Material Cut off Treaty- FMCT (1998), these played a pivotal role to abolish nuclear weapons or control on the production of nuclear weapons capabilities in the world.

A number of books and articles have been written on Antarctica, although most have been on the Antarctic Treaty (1959) and the international political and environmental dimensions of Antarctica.

According to the Protocol on Environmental Protection to the Antarctic Treaty (1991), the continent could be explored for scientific purposes but mining is banned for at least 50 years until 2041 when the treaty is up for review and might be subjected to change, (http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-25417441) reported BBC.

A 1991 environmental accord banned mining for at least 50 years under the Antarctic Treaty that preserves the continent for scientific research and wildlife, from penguins to seals.