Protocol on Environmental Protection to the Antarctic Treaty

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Protocol_on_Environmental_Protection_to_the_Antarctic_Treaty

Key provisions of the Treaty

• Article 3 states that protection of the Antarctic environment as a wilderness with aesthetic and scientific value shall be a "fundamental consideration" of activities in the area.
• Article 7 states that "Any activity relating to mineral resources, other than scientific research, shall be prohibited." This provision contrasts with the rejected Convention on the Regulation of Antarctic Mineral Resource Activities, which would have allowed mining under the control and taxation of an international managing body similar to the International Seabed Authority.
• Article 8 requires environmental assessment for all activities, including tourism.
• Article 11 creates a Committee for Environmental Protection for the continent.
• Article 15 calls for member states to be prepared for emergency response actions in the area.
• Articles 18-20 arrange for arbitration of international disputes regarding Antarctica.
• Article 25(5) states that the Article 7 ban on mining may not be repealed unless a future treaty establishes a binding regulatory framework for such activity.

State parties

As of May 2013, the protocol has been ratified by 34 parties — Argentina, Australia, Belarus, Belgium, Brazil, Bulgaria, Canada, Chile, the People's Republic of China, Czech Republic, Ecuador, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, India, Italy, Japan, South Korea, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Peru, Poland, Romania, Russia, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Ukraine, United Kingdom, United States, and Uruguay.^[1]

A further 11 states — Austria, Colombia, Cuba, Denmark, Guatemala, Hungary, North Korea, Papua New Guinea,  Slovakia, Switzerland, and Turkey — have signed but not yet ratified it.