1. Centre introduces Antarctica Bill
- GS 1,2,3- World Geography, Climate Change, Biodiversity International Treaties and Agreements.
Context:
The government tabled the ‘Antarctica Bill’ in the Lok Sabha on Friday, with the goal of controlling trips and operations to Antarctica, as well as any disputes that may occur among individuals present on the continent. • The Ministry of Earth Sciences stated that not only was India required to have such commitments, but it would also explicitly clarify that any illegal conduct or “crime” in Indian territory at Antarctica would imply that a person — even if they were a foreigner — would be subject to Indian laws.
History and context:
• The origins of Indian Antarctic expeditions may be traced back to cooperation agreements between the Indian Space Research Organization and the Hydrometeorological Centre of Russia, which resulted in Indians, such as Dr. Paramjit Singh Sehra, joining the 17th Soviet Antarctic expedition in 1971–1973.
• On August 1, 1983, India formally joined the Antarctic Treaty System. On September 12, 1983, the nation joined the Antarctic Treaty’s fifteenth Consultative Member.
• The Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES) and the National Centre for Polar and Ocean Research (NCPOR) are working jointly to draught the Indian Antarctic Bill. This Bill is in response to India’s entrance to the Antarctic Treaty in 1959, as well as the Antarctic Treaty’s Protocol on Environment Protection (Madrid Protocol). The Bill seeks to establish India’s own national safeguards for the Antarctic environment, as well as its dependent and connected ecosystems.
System of Antarctic Treaties:
The Antarctic Treaty and associated treaties govern international relations with regard to Antarctica, the world’s only continent without a native human population.
It was the first arms control treaty signed during the Cold War, designating the continent as a scientific preserve, establishing freedom of scientific investigation, and prohibiting military activity; for the purposes of the treaty system, Antarctica is defined as all land and ice shelves south of 60°S latitude.
The Antarctic Treaty’s provisions are as follows:
• Encouraging scientific research freedom.
• Countries are only permitted to use the continent for peaceful purposes.
• Prohibition of military activity, nuclear testing, and radioactive waste disposal.
• Neutralizing territorial sovereignty, which includes putting a stop to any new claims or enlargements of existing claims.
• It put a halt to any conflicts between claims over their continent-wide holdings.
Antarctic Treaty Protocol on Environmental Protection:
- Signed on October 4, 1991, in Madrid, and entered into force in 1998.
- Establishes Antarctica as a “natural reserve dedicated to peace and research.”
- It establishes fundamental principles relating to human operations in Antarctica.
- Except for scientific research, Article 7 forbids any activity connected to Antarctic mineral resources.
The Treaty System’s Major International Agreements:
• The Antarctic Treaty of 1959.
• The Antarctic Seal Conservation Convention of 1972.
• The Convention on the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources, signed in 1980.
• The Antarctic Treaty’s 1991 Protocol on Environmental Protection.
The Indian Antarctic Program:
The Indian Antarctic Programme is a multidisciplinary, multi-institutional initiative overseen by the National Centre for Polar and Ocean Research (NCPOR) of the Ministry of Earth Sciences of the Government of India.
It began in 1981 with the first Indian Antarctic trip.
With India’s signature of the Antarctic Treaty and subsequent building of the Dakshin Gangotri Antarctic research facility in 1983, the programme acquired worldwide acceptability, which was later supplanted by the Maitri base in 1989.
Bharati, which was completed in 2012, is a foundation made of 134 shipping containers. India is studying atmospheric, biological, earth, chemical, and medicinal sciences under the programme, and as of October 14, 2010, it had conducted 30 research excursions to Antarctica.
NCPOR Facts:
• Designed to take the lead in polar and ocean sciences research.
• To lead geoscientific surveys of India’s Exclusive Economic Zones (EEZs) and continental shelf, deep-sea drilling in the Arabian Sea region, and ocean exploration for methane hydrates, multi-metal sulphides, and other non-living resources as part of the International Ocean Discovery Program (IODP).
• Aiding other institutions’ and organisations’ research in Antarctica, the Arctic, and the Indian Ocean part of the Southern Ocean.
• Overseeing and carrying out all scientific and logistical aspects of the yearly Indian missions to the Arctic, Antarctic, and Southern Oceans.
• Managing and maintaining the Maitri, Bharati, and Himadri research stations.
• Managing the boats of the Earth Sciences Ministry, notably the ORV Sagar Kanya.
