The Antarctic Treaty, first signed in 1959, now has 53 signatories who have agreed to suspend territorial claims and disputes, to forgo all military and mining activity, to protect the Antarctic environment and to preserve the continent as “a natural reserve, devoted to peace and to science”.

Soon after it was signed, under the pretext of conducting scientific research, nations began to eclipse each other in building bases on various parts of the continent, establishing a toehold that would allow them to exploit natural resources that may be discovered in the future.

Rough estimates place total Antarctic oil reserves between 50 billion to 203 billion barrels, while natural gas reserves are projected at 106 trillion cubic feet. Thirty-two resource-hungry countries are now operating 75 permanent research stations and around 30 temporary ones in Antarctica.

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