From a diplomatic miracle to 21st-century ambition: As Antarctic Treaty meeting concludes in Hiroshima, ASOC urges parties to close the gap between alarming science and slow policy.
The 48th Antarctic Treaty Consultative Meeting (ATCM) and the 28th meeting of its Committee for Environmental Protection (CEP) has concluded in the historic city of Hiroshima.
While the meeting was marked by a significant focus on peace, science, and the 35th Anniversary of the Environmental Protocol, the Antarctic and Southern Ocean Coalition (ASOC) warns that critical scientific warnings are failing to translate into policy action. “The pace of diplomatic decision-making remains dangerously slow compared to the rapid climate and biodiversity unfolding in Antarctica,” says Claire Christian, Executive Director of ASOC.
A Historic Focus on Peace and Science
Hosting the meeting in Hiroshima provided a powerful backdrop for reaffirming Antarctica as a “natural reserve devoted to peace and science”. Japan’s dedication to these values set a collaborative tone for the discussions. “The Antarctic Treaty was a mid-20th-century miracle. Today, the Parties have a historic window of opportunity to match that legacy with 21st-century ambition in the field of what connects us all – a healthy environment,” said Patricia Cavalcanti, Program Director Asia-Pacific, Agenda Antártica.
Growing Footprint of Unregulated Antarctic Tourism
ASOC welcomes progress in negotiations towards a framework for regulating tourism, and continues to urge Parties to establish binding rules to address the massive surge in visitor numbers. Without a legally enforceable framework, the growing commercial footprint risks placing irreversible pressure on the Antarctic wilderness and its fragile ecosystems:
.“We cannot continue relying on largely voluntary guidelines while commercial tourism operations expand rapidly across the continent,” said Ricardo Roura, Senior Advisor for ASOC. “Developing a framework is a start, but the ATCM must urgently transform these discussions into mandatory, legally binding regulations before tourism growth outpaces our ability to protect the environment – and its intrinsic values recognized under the Protocol.”
Demanding Global Action on the Climate Crisis
ASOC emphasized that peace and environmental protection are inextricably linked, warning that safeguarding life-sustaining systems – like the collapsing Antarctic ice sheet – is fundamental to preventing global conflict. This danger is widely recognised: global tracking surveys by the Pew Research Centre and the Gallup World Risk Poll show nearly two-thirds of humanity (67%) view the climate crisis as a major threat to our planet’s future:
“The climate crisis is the defining challenge of our era, and the ATCM cannot treat Antarctica as an isolated regional issue,” said Pam Pearson, Director of the International Cryosphere Climate Initiative (ICCI). “This forum must use its diplomatic leverage to convey, to the UNFCCC and world leaders, the extreme threats we’ll face from Antarctic ice sheet melt unless we urgently cut fossil fuel emissions.”
Scientific Alarms and Policy Delays: Emperor Penguin Left Unprotected
The meeting considered a proposal to designate the emperor penguin as a Specially Protected Species following its elevation to “Endangered” status on the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List earlier this year. Scientific bodies, including the Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research (SCAR), reported “abrupt and accelerating” changes across Antarctic systems, highlighting the “exceptional” loss of sea ice – critical habitat for emperor penguins.
While the ATCM made incremental progress, with Parties reaffirming the protection of the emperor penguin as a priority, the meeting stopped short of formally declaring Specially Protected Species status. The proposal, opposed by only a small minority of Parties, would have triggered a coordinated framework of conservation measures aimed at protecting emperor penguins from accelerating habitat loss and the risk of functional extinction by 2100 under “business-as-usual” emissions trajectories.
“The barometer is flashing red, yet critical protections are still being stymied by a small number of Parties,” said Rod Downie, WWF’s Chief Adviser, Polar & Oceans. “The endangered emperor penguin is a stark reminder of how the climate and nature crises are intertwined. We must look now to next year’s meeting in the Republic of Korea to deliver meaningful action to protect this icon on ice.”
ASOC and its partners worked to bridge the gap between polar diplomacy and the public through a series of high-profile events, including a public panel in Tokyo, the photo exhibition ‘From Antarctica to Hiroshima,’ and a Youth Art Contest. These efforts coincided with an official Outreach & Education Workshop by the ATCM – a milestone event that occurs only once a decade:
“Civil society should be seen as a key stakeholder in the Antarctic Treaty System,” said Randal Helten, Representative Director, Friends of the Earth Japan. ASOC is urging the Treaty system and Parties to enhance transparency to ensure that polar diplomacy is suitably visible and accessible to the global public it impacts.
Image: Pixabay