Frozen Frontiers: Geopolitics and the Future of the Antarctic Treaty System

What happens when the world’s last great commons becomes a stage for global power struggles? In this episode, we explore insights from Geopolitical Change and the Antarctic Treaty System, a collection that examines the mounting pressures facing the ATS. From illegal fishing battles within the Convention on the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR) to the contested creation of marine protected areas, the governance of Antarctica’s fragile ecosystems is far from settled. We also dive into the explosive growth of tourism, the strategic use of historic sites for national prestige, and how rising powers like China and Russia test the limits of consensus-based governance. Against the backdrop of climate change and shifting geopolitics, we ask: Can the Antarctic Treaty System uphold its founding principles of demilitarization, scientific cooperation, and environmental protection—or is the ice beginning to crack?