Responsible Tourism and Shipping

These microscopic particles can settle on snow and glaciers, darkening their surface, making them melt more quickly, and speeding up the process of sea level rise.

A 2022 study published in nature.com found elevated concentrations of black carbon in the snow around popular Antarctic tourism sites and research stations, compared to other areas of Antarctica.

The increased amounts of black carbon were linked to more rapid snow melt and loss of snowpack in the affected areas.  

ASOC supports the efforts of Antarctic Treaty Parties to monitor the carbon footprint of Antarctic activities, including black carbon, with a view to systematically reducing carbon emissions and local black carbon pollution from all activities in the Antarctic.

Read information paper.

Download black carbon infographic.

Read information paper.

Gray water often contains chemical detergents, heavy metals, fecal coliforms, polyaromatic hydrocarbons and microplastics harmful to marine ecosystems.

Scientific research has confirmed the presence of microplastics in both Antarctic snow and the waters of the Southern Ocean.

ASOC supports a ban on discharge of untreated black water (sewage) and gray water (bath, shower, laundry and galley water). We are calling for the discharge of gray water to be regulated globally through the IMO’s MARPOL Convention with special restrictions provided for the Southern Ocean in the Polar Code.  

Download ASOC information paper about the discharge of water water from vessels in Antarctic Treaty waters.

Download gray water infographics.

Most tourist and scientific activity takes place in these limited ice-free areas, which means human impacts are concentrated in some of the most biodiverse and vulnerable regions of Antarctica. 

The climate crisis is already having significant impacts on these ecosystems, making them more vulnerable to colonization by invasive species. Despite efforts to limit the impact of human activities, several invasive species have already been detected on the Antarctic Peninsula. 

ASOC supports measures to prevent the introduction of non-native species via discharges of ballast water and fouling on vessel hulls.

ASOC also supports exploring regulations to limit the maximum tourist capacity, which have been successfully introduced in other ecologically sensitive areas.

Invasive species can be transported and introduced into fragile ecosystems through biofouling.

As more ships visit and the Antarctic Peninsula continues to warm, there is an increased risk that introduced species will become established and threaten delicate marine ecosystems.

In 2020, researchers identified 14 non-native species around the Antarctic Peninsula, and 13 more at high risk of invading the region.

ASOC supports measures to prevent the introduction of non-native species via fouling on vessel hulls.

Implementing the Environmental Protocol

Antarctica’s Environmental Protocol provides a legally binding set of conservation measures that covers most activities in the Antarctic Treaty area.

Although it entered into force in 1998, some important provisions of the Protocol still haven’t been put in place. For example, we are still waiting for a system of protected areas to be created, and a liability regime to be established.

ASOC campaigns for full and effective implementation of the Environmental Protocol so Antarctica will be governed to the highest standard of environmental protection possible. 

Strengthening Liability for Environmental Damage

ASOC advocates for strengthening liability and accountability for states and operators who cause damage to the Antarctic environment, threatening its land, waters, and species.

The question of who is liable for environmental damage in Antarctica is critical to its protection. An environmental emergency in Antarctica would be disastrous and costly to remedy, with grave consequences for fragile ecosystems in areas that are extremely difficult to access. 

Despite decades of negotiation, the question of who is liable for damage caused in the Antarctic Treaty Area remains unanswered. If there was a major environmental incident in Antarctic waters, there are several unknowns: who is responsible for coordinating the cleanup response? Who pays for the repair work? Who ensures that it’s done, and done well? How is this enforced? And what happens if the responsible parties refuse to do the work? Without answers to these questions, an environmental crisis could turn into a global disaster. 

As the Exxon Valdez oil spill showed us in the 1980s, environmental emergencies in remote areas are costly, time-consuming and resource-intensive to remediate. Establishing liability for environmental damage in Antarctica is essential, both to promote accountability among those operating in Antarctica, and to discourage high-risk activities.

ASOC continues to advocate for the adoption of preventative regulations that both deter parties and operators from taking risks that could cause environmental damage, and establish liability in advance of an incident.

The International Code for Ships Operating in Polar Waters (Polar Code) aims to ensure safe shipping and avoid environmental damage in the remote and sensitive polar regions.

Adopted by the members of the International Maritime Organization (IMO) under the auspices of the United Nations, the Polar Code entered into force in January 2017. 

The Polar Code introduced legally-binding safety and pollution-prevention measures for cruise ships and large cargo ships (over 500 gross tons) in polar waters. 

While ASOC welcomed the Polar Code, it does not provide adequate protection for the Antarctic environment or the people who work there. 

ASOC continues to participate in international meetings where the Polar Code is on the agenda. We present decision-makers with policy papers backed by the best available science, advocating for strong protective measures and their harmonized implementation.

Read about our campaign to strengthen the Polar Code.

Learn more about the Polar Code.

There are currently no restrictions on the dumping of gray water which often contains chemical detergents, heavy metals, fecal coliforms, polyaromatic hydrocarbons and microplastics. 

Under the Polar Code, dumping of raw sewage is permitted beyond 12NM (13 miles) from land, ice shelves or fast ice, and as far as practicable from areas of sea ice concentration exceeding a density of one in ten. This could result in raw sewage being inadvertently dumped in a feeding ground for Antarctic wildlife. ASOC advocates for

stronger regulations to protect vulnerable ecosystems, including no dumping of untreated sewage in the Southern Ocean.

ASOC supports regulation of ballast water discharge, which can contain invasive species that could settle in Antarctic waters.

Read our policy paper. 

Invasive aquatic species can be transported and introduced into fragile polar ecosystems through biofouling (when organisms, such as barnacles attach to the submerged parts of a vessel, for example propellers) and in ballast water, which ships use to help them remain stable.

Under the Polar Code, vessels are required to take measures to minimize the risk of invasive aquatic species through ships’ ballast water and biofouling.

All ships must have a ship-specific Ballast Water Management Plan, a Ballast Water Record Book and an International Ballast Water Management Certificate (the Certificate applies only to ships of 400gt and above). 

Learn more about the Ballast Water Management Convention, which came into force in September 2017.

Read our policy paper.