14-15 June: Major success in Antarctic cooperation
Following a formal decision on Tuesday and a press conference on Wednesday it was clear that, after almost thirteen years of negotiations, the Antarctic Treaty parties have agreed on liability rules in the event of an environmental emergency in Antarctica. An exciting story from the childhood of Antarctic cooperation was also shown - on a film screen.
The men and the woman behind the successful result of the negotiations on the new liability rules in the event of environment emergencies in Antarctica celebrate
Ambassador Don MacKay of New Zealand receives a present for guiding the liability negotiations to their successful conclusion
"The main point of the new liability rules is that now no one can get away any longer with not paying for an environmental emergency they have caused in Antarctica," said Ambassador Don MacKay, who led the complex negotiations, at Wednesday's press conference.
He also explained that the system means that anyone who cause an emergency (irrespective of if it is a research leader or a tour operator) must do the cleaning up or pay some one else to do it - either another country or a new, joint fund that the Antarctic Treaty parties will be responsible for together.
"In other words, we have created strong incentives for everyone who is active in Antarctica to prevent emergencies," said Don MacKay.
Sweden has taken a very active part in realising legally binding liability rules. "It is particularly gratifying, therefore, that the parties have been able to reach agreement at the Stockholm Antarctic Treaty Consultative Meeting (ATCM) under Sweden's leadership," comments Minister for Foreign Affairs Laila Freivalds in a press release.
Both Ambassador MacKay and the Minister also pointed out how important it is that all 28 countries taking part in Antarctic cooperation now ratify the new Annex, i.e. incorporate it into their national legislation so that it will be legally binding in each country.
Parts of China's delegation celebrate the completion of 13 years of negotiations on the liability issue
Conference delegates in the Chinese delegation were very pleased that the parties have finally managed to reach agreement in the liability issue.
"It has been tough and difficult but now there was the political will," said the Chinese head of delegation, Ambassador Chen Shiqiu, in connection with the celebration of the decision. He didn't know of anyone who was dissatisfied with the outcome.
"I think everyone is pleased now," said Chen Shiqiu.
With Nordenskjöld to the end of the world - or how to survive on penguins
Pablo Wainschenker has followed Nordenskjöld's ski trail
The journalist Pablo Wainschenker from Argentina has long been fascinated by Antarctica and, not least, by the adventures that were played out there around the turn of the last century - when the boats were of wood and the men thought that they themselves were of steel.
One of these men was the Swedish geologist Otto Nordenskjöld, who set out for Antarctica in the autumn of 1901. The expedition was scheduled to be away for a year to look for fossils and study flora and fauna but also to catch seals and whales. Once their ship had been crushed by the pack ice, their stay became a two-year-long struggle against the cold and they ate nothing but penguins for breakfast, lunch and dinner.
In this small cottage on Snow Hill Island just off the Antarctic Peninsula, Nordenskjöld and five fellow-travellers lived for two years
"I read Nordenskjöld's book about the trip and became totally absorbed by it, reading the almost 1 200 pages in one go," says Pablo. He points out that the story can be read both as an exciting adventure with death just round the corner and a happy end, and also as a story about international politics and research cooperation, in this case between Sweden, Norway and Argentina.
"So there are a number of reasons for making a documentary about this particular story," says Pablo Wainschenker. He started the project in 1998 together with two Argentine colleagues, the director Eduardo Sanchez and the photographer Fernando Moyano. In October 2003 the film "Trapped at the end of the world" was completed.
The film, which is based on rich photographic material and a large number of interviews with historians and relatives of participants in 1901, was shown at the Conference on Tuesday. This summer it will also be shown daily at the National Maritime Museum in Stockholm, in connection with their Antarctica Exhibition on the rescue expedition sent to look for Nordenskjöld in 1903.
In the autumn the film will be shown on SVT 2, a Swedish public service TV channel.
