The Emerging Risk Environment for Antarctica - Dr Anthony Bergin, ASPI, and Dr Tony Press, UTAS

The Emerging Risk Environment for Antarctica - Dr Anthony Bergin, ASPI, and Dr Tony Press, UTAS The Antarctic region continues to be of immense strategic importance to Australia. The Antarctic Treaty ensures that the area south of latitude 60°S remains unmilitarised, cooperation is ensured, and the focus of activities is on scientific research. It protects differing positions on sovereignty. Changes to environmental conditions in Antarctica and the Southern Ocean are creating a range of impacts and associated challenges. Antarctica is becoming more geopolitically contested. There are pressures on existing norms and principles. This presentation will consider future implications of emergent issues and threats, including likely impacts if threats are not addressed. We will provide ideas to mitigate the threats and challenges to Antarctica. In particular, the presentation will consider Australia's long relationship with China in the Antarctic in the context of its status as a rising power in Antarctic affairs. It will be suggested that we should bring broad policy and intelligence perspectives to our Antarctic activities and relationships and assess with allies and friends China's activities, interests, goals and intentions. Dr Anthony Bergin is a senior fellow at the Australian Strategic Policy Institute. He previously served as ASPI's research director and deputy director. Anthony has published widely on maritime security and Antarctic affairs. He is a former adjunct Reader in Law at ANU, teaching international law, and a senior research fellow at the National Security College. Anthony and Tony Press co-authored the recent ASPI report, Eyes Wide Open: Managing the Australia-China Antarctic relationship. Dr Tony Press is an adjunct Professor at the Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies at the University of Tasmania. He has written extensively on Antarctic law, policy and environmental issues. He is a former CEO of the Antarctic Climate & Ecosystems Cooperative Research Centre and Director of the Australian Antarctic Division. In July 2019, Tony served as an academic adviser to the Australian delegation at the 42nd Antarctic Treaty Consultative Meeting in Prague. In October 2014, the Australian Government released his report, the 20 Year Australian Antarctic Strategic Plan.