For 65 years, an international treaty formulated at the height of the Cold War has ruled the Antarctic. However, as geopolitical tensions intensify, consensus is becoming increasingly difficult to find.
“Until a few years ago, we were talking about the Antarctic Treaty, the framework for peace and stability in the Antarctic region, and the Arctic serves as a relatively stable place,” said David Hik, chief scientist at Polar Insword Canada, an institution dedicated to enhancing Canadian polar science and technology.
“Now, both assumptions are challenged.”
58 countries including Canada are signatories Antarctic Treatyit preserves the mainland for scientific exploration and peace and bans military and mining activities.
But only half of the signatories can vote on the treaty business. Canada wants to ensure voting rights as the so-called advisory party and will re-propose the case later this month at the Antarctic Treaty Conference in Milan, Italy.
But there are obstacles.
“Canada claims to be the consulting party’s consulting party,” said Klaus Dodds, a political biographer and Antarctic expert at Royal Holloway, University of London. “The reason is that Russia wants allies tied with Canada to become consulting party.”
International climate correspondent Susan Ormiston traveled to Antarctica for the first time with 15 climate scientists and crew of HMCS Margaret Brooke. She explores geopolitical tensions in the remote southern pole and explains what is happening in the region and what is endangered.
In March, the first-ever all-Canadian expedition sailed to Antarctica on HMCS Margaret Brooke, with the Canadian Navy presided over 15 polar scientists. The Canadian Antarctic Research Expedition (CARE) mission 2025 conducted weeks of research and visited mainland research stations in several countries, partly because it improved Canada’s image in Antarctica. CBC News Gets Exclusive access to the expedition.
To capture the international climate correspondent of CBC sailing, Susan Ormiston, producer Jill English and photographer Sam Martin spent a month on Margaret Brooke on a satellite, sending the message of the voyage back to Canada.
From HMCS Margaret Brooke to the Antarctic Peninsula’s Challenge, Rewards and Favorite Moments Peeping Challenges, Rewards and Favorite Moments, and see how CBC’s International Climate Team reports from Antarctic Navy ships.
Find clues about climate change in Antarctica
Due to climate change, polar regions change faster than the rest of the world.
Antarctica’s ancient glaciers are retreating, with sea ice approaching record lows this year, both of which will lead to global sea levels rising.
“The Antarctic ice sheet contains a lot of fresh water, and as the ice sheet is thinner and melted calves, the calves are faster, which will affect changes in global sea levels,” said Thomas James, chief scientist at Care Care Mission in 2025.
He added: “What happened in Antarctica will not stay in Antarctica.”
The Southern Ocean is a huge carbohydrate tank that helps regulate the global climate. Warm waters could disrupt these patterns, said Brent, a co-scientific director at Meopar, who supports marine research and training at Canadian universities.
“As the cycle pattern warms up with the change in the cycle mode, ocean carb sinks are expected to slow down over time. And the polar regions are the most important areas of these carb sinks,” he said.
Polar scientists collect Antarctic samples from water, mud and snow to better understand what happens when climate change. CBC correspondent Susan Ormiston is chased by seals on the volcanic island.
Canada monitors security issues in polar regions
Canada is a polar country with increasing attention to Arctic sovereignty, and the government is Promote military presence in the north.
“Canada is an Arctic country and we can never take our sovereignty and security in the region for granted,” Prime Minister Mark Carney said during a visit to Iqaluit in March.
A year ago, the Royal Canadian Navy began planning to deploy to Antarctica to support scientific exploration and enhance its understanding of Antarctic geopolitical pressure.
“We can see climate change in the north, we can see what China and Russia are doing in and around northern Canada, [and thinking] I want to know what happened in Antarctica, [can we] Vice-Chancellor Angus Topshee told CBC News in an exclusive interview.
The idea, he said, is “do some science and see if we can figure out what can help us better protect and defend our North.”
Topshee believes that Antarctica has security issues that threaten its stability.
“I’m worried that we won’t [militarize and mine Antarctica] …will change. And I don’t think it’s in our interest and it can be easily changed. ”
The commander of the Royal Canadian Navy sailed into Maxwell Bay on the Antarctic Peninsula to meet with the crew of HMCS Margaret Brooke, crossing its historical mission and speaking with Susan Ormiston of the Canadian company about Canada’s concerns about Canada’s region.
“Night is always about things you can’t see”
Navigating through the Antarctic Circle, HMCS Margaret Brooke sailed into some extreme weather and ice-clogged access.
As an Arctic and Offshore Patrol Vessel (AOPV), it is designed to travel through new ice with a thickness of meters. However, as the weather changes rapidly, the ice moves and changes, so the open access can be blocked with ice the next day.
Ice experts from the Canadian Coast Guard Donavan Tremblay and officers from the Chilean Navy Javier Idiaquez traveled with Margaret Brooke staff to help map safe roads. Even so, unexpected obstacles still exist, and navigation at night brings more challenges.
As the weather worsens, ice encroaches on the Rothera point in the Antarctic circle, cmdr. Teri share must be decided whether to proceed.
“It’s definitely a higher level,” Share told CBC News in the Captain’s dormitory on Margaret Brooke.
“We can take all the precautions we can take. We can use all the information provided to us. However, there is still a point that I, as the commander, say yes or no.”
Finally, Share called and pushed further southward, and the crew drove the ship through icebergs and ice to reach Rothera Point, the ship’s final destination, the southernmost point ever made by the Canadian Navy.
“It feels like you and I were on the bridge yesterday, what are you asking me [is the Navy] Share told CBC’s Susan Ormiston.
“It’s gone very quickly,” shared.
HMCS Margaret Brooke’s journey outside the Antarctic Circle. CMDR. Teri Share has a decision – can Arctic and offshore patrol ships break into the ice, or is it time to turn back?
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