Recommendation 39

Antarctica’s potential reserves of commercial mineral resources, including oil, coal, and iron ore, present a risk of future conflicts and environmental harm. While the Protocol on Environmental Protection to the Antarctic Treaty enforces an indefinite mining ban, recent reports of Russian seismic surveys in Antarctic waters raise concerns that prospecting activities may be taking place. If substantiated, such actions would compromise the Protocol and endanger the fragile Antarctic environment. Failure to address these concerns could set a dangerous precedent, opening the door for future exploitation, and threatening the environmental protections that the Antarctic Treaty System was designed to uphold. (Conclusion, Paragraph 190)