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It is the most desolate, coldest, driest, windiest, most inaccessible end of the earth. It is the only region on Earth that all nations agreed they could share. However, as our natural resources start to run out, more nations are now looking at Antarctica as an additional source of natural resources.

The land of penguins, seals, whales and ice is seen as a potential land of oil, coal and iron. The region could see a change from being one that hosts cooperative international scientific research to a region of confrontation and exploitation.

The scientists based in research centers in the Antarctic have praised the decades of international cooperation and sharing in bases such as the main U.S Antarctic facility. People say the extreme environmental conditions bind people together allowing them to work well together.Antarctic Cruising

Located near the Mc Murdo headquarters of the National Science Foundation responsible for the U.S. Antarctica activities there is a park, encircled by flags, which is dedicated to the Admiral Richard Evelyn Byrd and his dream. He was the first to ever fly over the South Pole and led five expeditions in the Antarctic. He envisioned Antarctica as a region of International cooperation in science and as an example of a place where nations work together. His vision was a noble one, but how realistic is it now that the world is becoming starved of minerals and energy?

No one knows what the mineral potential of Antarctica is but there certainly is more interest. Politics has gradually become more involved in the situation in Antarctica and it is no longer just a scientific issue. Under the frozen icescape and seas that make up the Antarctic many believe that there is a large source of untouched minerals and oil reserves. antarctica vacation

Antarctica and the surrounding region are similar geologically to other regions of the Earth where oil, minerals and gas are found in abundance. Small scale drilling offshore by the U.S has already hinted that hydrocarbon deposits might exist. Coal deposits in large quantities have already been discovered with lead, gold, uranium, tin, chromium, nickel, titanium and cobalt already found in high concentrations.

Thanks to its challenging environment the Antarctic has always laid beyond the reach of exploitation due to the height of the challenge and the expense involved. Environmentalists and scientists alike are becoming worried as exploiting the region now makes more economical sense because of technological advancements and the heightened costs of the Earth's raw materials.

Environmentalists worldwide are concerned because the Antarctic is one of the remaining few regions that are still unpolluted, untouched and unspoilt on Earth. The exploitation of the region will certainly conflict with the environment and the International Institute for Environment and Development and the Sierra group are both aware of the prospects of this happening.

They want to see studies carried out to assess the risks to the environment caused by the exploitation of the region at the same time as any exploration which is needed to confirm exactly the resources the region holds. What fears them is that the results of the studies will then encourage the development. What causes the most concerns is oil drilling due to the chances of an oil spill. The majority of the animals, including seals and birds that live in the Antarctic, could be severely affected. A spill in the region may cause more damage than in any other region because colder climates cause oil to break up and degrade at a slower rate.

Antarctica became a scientific preserve following the landmark treaty in 1959 which controls a lot of the activities that go on in the region.There were 12 nations involved in signing the treaty, later joined by Poland, jointly administer the region and ensure that no military activity, including nuclear weapon testing takes place and that no radioactive waste is disposed there. There are some cases of overlapping land claims from countries such as Australia, New Zealand, Great Britain, France, Argentina, Chile and Norway but these have been side-step by the treaty.

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