This article explores how the study of Antarctica’s environmental past emerged relatively recently. The author also traces key historical developments in human interaction with the continent

This chapter examines the unique environmental law governing Antarctica, shaped by the Antarctic Treaty System (ATS) and a mix of state laws, international treaties, and political norms. It discusses the region’s exceptional status, with issues like sealing, fishing, and mining addressed through separate instruments. While the ATS has achieved significant environmental and peace-related successes, the chapter highlights ongoing challenges in applying global environmental rules and the potential risks of undermining Antarctica’s interests without its collective governance system.

Through the lenses of mining moratoriums and fishing restrictions, this article analyzies traditional law alongside the Antarctic Treaty System’s measures. While these rules reflect some core rights of nature principles, they still maintain anthropocentric biases, especially in older instruments. The conclusion is that stronger procedural safeguards are needed before rights of nature can fully take hold.

In this chapter, Ruth Davis explores the global legal norms established by the Antarctic Treaty System (ATS), analyzing the values enshrined within it and how it reflects emerging principles of international law. Davis focuses on how the Antarctic Treaty addresses traditional security concerns, emphasizing its core provisions designed to remove or contain these issues in the region.

This author argues for a paradigm shift beyond rights of nature toward viewing Antarctica as a shared global commons. The invitation is for legal frameworks to adapt to this planetary scale and acknowledge the rights of non-human entities.

This book chapter reviews Antarctica’s legal regime, beginning with the 1959 Antarctic Treaty and its subsequent modifications, as well as the Sealing Convention, the Marine Living Resources Convention, and the 1988 Mineral Resource Activities Convention. It examines proposals for change from France, Australia, New Zealand, the US, Chile, and Sweden, and explores how these proposals address jurisdictional issues within the existing framework.

This paper investigates the rights of individual animals living in Antarctica and the Southern Ocean, a region inhabited by diverse species including mammals, birds, finfish, crustaceans, and cephalopods. The author identifies key animal rights concerns, assesses their relevance to Antarctic governance, and examines existing legal provisions and management guidelines.

This article considers possible conflicts between the Antarctic Treaty System and the new UN Convention on the Law of the Sea. If the Convention takes effect, six key issues (such as borders, resource use, environmental rules, and deep-sea mining) could create disputes in Antarctic waters. The author reviews each issue to see where interests might clash or legal authority might overlap.

In this article, the author examines how granting Antarctica moral and legal value challenges existing sovereignty claims. This analysis brings into question how human-centric legal structures can protect animal welfare in such a unique environment.

This chapter traces the evolution of environmental protection in Antarctica, from the 1959 Treaty to the 1991 Protocol banning commercial and mineral activities for 50 years. The author highlights key shifts, including the adoption of the precautionary principle and the evolving participation rights of international stakeholders. It additionally examines the role of the environmental movement in influencing legal change, ultimately leading to the most stringent international environmental legislation yet, showcasing Antarctica as a unique example of legal “greening.”

This paper critically examines New Zealand’s global trusteeship role in Antarctica alongside emerging guardianship models used to protect lakes, rivers, mountains, and coastal waters. It focuses on Indigenous influence–especially Ngāi Tahu’s connection to the Sub-Antarctic islands–and explores legal innovations that grant personhood to natural features. The paper offers preliminary conclusions on how these developments could inform a new legal framework for protecting Antarctica.

Antarctic land ecosystems face rising threats from climate change and growing human activity, which increase the risk of invasive species and weaken native biodiversity. This article evaluates how well the Environmental Protocol and current management tools protect these ecosystems, and calls for a strategic, long-term, and integrated approach to improve resilience and guide future environmental decisions.

In this chapter, Steven L. Chown examines Antarctic environmental challenges within a global context, highlighting the region’s transformation due to anthropogenic climate change. While political responses, both within the Antarctic Treaty System (ATS) and globally, have yet to fully address these changes, Chown notes the rising tide of nationalism concerning Antarctica, mirroring trends seen worldwide.

This article examines how the seven Antarctic Claimant States, despite the sovereignty freeze in Article IV of the Antarctic Treaty, continue to lead in environmental protection efforts. The author explores whether their actions reflect a move away from Westphalian sovereignty (which views states as holding absolute authority over their territories and resources) and toward a more human-integrated interpretation.