The Alexander Karpinsky research vessel discovered a 510 billion barrel oil field in Antarctica. The area in question is considered by the British to be their overseas territory and is claimed by Argentina and Chile. Argentina fought and lost a war with Britain for the Falkland Islands nearby. This will be interesting for future generations.
Does this mean that the Russians will attempt to exploit (extract) the oil? There is some sort of international treaty banning mineral exploitation in Antarctica.
ReplyDeletePerplexity* AI says that "This prohibition is established under Article 7 of the Protocol on Environmental Protection to the Antarctic Treaty (often called the Madrid Protocol), which came into force in 1998. The Protocol explicitly states:
"Any activity relating to mineral resources, other than scientific research, shall be prohibited."
This means that commercial oil extraction and mining are currently completely banned throughout Antarctica.
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*Maimonides reference