The Future of Antarctica

The environment in the Arctic has been evaluated several times in great detail with different scopes.

Within the framework of the Arctic Monitoring Assessment Programme, (AMAP) transboundary contamination and transport of chemicals has been assessed, and most recently an assessment of the Arctic Climate Impact (ACIA) has been finalized.

Cooperation between the ATCM and organisations like WMO, IHO, SCAR, COMNAP, IAATO and ASOC has led to synergies in data usage and knowledge sharing, and has led to a willingness to expand the cooperation for the development of a long-term and efficient management of Antarctica. This cooperation could make a substantial contribution to the ongoing compilation of the State of the Antarctic Environment Report (SAER), which could be a good basis for a strategic environmental assessment where programmes and plans for the development of Antarctica could be analysed.