Motion 055

Antarctica, including the Southern Ocean south of the Antarctic Convergence, covers ten percent of the Earth’s surface and plays a vital role in maintaining the conditions enabling life to flourish. Cold water upwelling up from ocean depths nourishes vast blooms of phytoplankton, consumed by teeming krill populations on which whales and fish feed. The Southern Ocean drives global ocean currents and absorbs a disproportionally high percentage of the heat and carbon.

The Antarctic Treaty System (ATS) reserved Antarctica for peaceful purposes and has promoted scientific collaboration since 1959. However, climate and other threats are increasing. Sea ice is at record lows, ocean currents are weakening, temperatures are increasing (up to 40°C above average), and fishing, tourism, and oil and gas exploration are expanding.

Scientists warn rapid action is needed to halt and reverse these alarming trends, but the ATS alone cannot meet the challenge. Most notably, the ATS cannot effectively address climate change, as those activities largely take place outside the treaty area. Procedural issues also raise hurdles: decisions are made behind closed doors and by consensus, meaning any State party can block progress, as recently happened with marine protected areas.

In response, the proposed motion seeks to build worldwide support for recognition of the inherent rights and freedoms of Antarctica – including the Southern Ocean as well as of the many Antarctic beings – to exist, be wild, and continue their regenerative cycles free of human disruption or control. This builds on the IUCN’s long-standing commitment to Antarctica evidenced by WCC-2020-Res-107 (fisheries and biodiversity), WCC-2016-Res-032 (protected areas), and WCC-2012-Res-066 (marine protected areas, marine debris, and vessel operation).

Further, the motion’s focus on Antarctica’s rights generally, as well as its right to be represented in decision-making that affects it (such as climate change negotiations), implements IUCN’s ongoing commitment to nature’s rights. IUCN Resolution WCC-2012-Res-100 calls on the Director General to “initiate a process that considers the Rights of Nature as a fundamental and absolute key element for planning, action and assessment … as well as in IUCN policy on rights.” WCC-2016-Res-081 invites support for “the rights of humanity and all living beings to the environment and the rights of nature” and entrusts the World Commission on Environmental Law (WCEL) with monitoring and supporting such work. The WCEL’s own 2016 World Declaration on the Environmental Rule of Law recognizes Nature’s “inherent right to exist, thrive, and evolve.” The proposed motion would realize these goals in practice, towards maintaining not only Antarctica but also the rights and conditions of humanity and all other species.

The motion would join an accelerating Rights of Nature movement transforming how humans relate to the natural world. Over 200 laws and policies recognizing the Rights of Nature exist in 40 countries. For example, the Constitution of Ecuador, and laws in Aotearoa/New Zealand acknowledge that rivers, mountains, and forests are not property to be exploited, but legal subjects humans have a legal duty to respect and protect. With this motion, the IUCN would take another significant step forward, advancing our duty to act with humility, respect, and legal consideration towards Antarctica, creating a new model for our relationship with Earth.