international agreement

The Protocol on Environmental Protection to the Antarctic Treaty, also named the Madrid Protocol after where it was signed, is – in addition to the Antarctic Treaty itself – an equally important element of the Antarctic Treaty system. The Protocol has been ratified by 33 states since May 2013.

From time to time one hears the question to whom the Antarctic actually belongs to. The answer is simple: since there is no indigenous population in the Antarctic, it is a world heritage and belongs to everyone and to nobody in particular! The Antarctic Treaty System regulates both of these aspects.

Global environmental problems cannot be solved by national environmental regulations alone. Action at international level is required to effectively protect the environment. For this reason the fields governed by international law also include international environmental law, which is intended to protect the global environment.