ANTARCTIC DEVELOPMENT:

(TO DRILL OR NOT TO DRILL?)

The Antarctic Development Group
(ADG) formed in 2017 in response
to sustained international pressure. There is impatience at the
lack of exploitation being carried out in Antarctica, and
businesses are keen to benefit from its enormous mineral
wealth. After years of planning and discussions, the Group is
now ready to present its recommendations to the public.

Opposing the ADG is the Antarctic Protection League (APL),

which insists on keeping this pristine land in its original state. They oppose drilling, mining and
even permanent human settlement, preferring strictly controlled tourism. They support
scientific stations for studying climate change and its effects on the animal population. They
reject calls for Antarctica’s beauty to be destroyed in order to “benefit wealthy businessmen
thousands of miles away”.

The Details:

• The ADG is prepared to give 10% of its profits to organizations which

promote environmental protection, and another 10% to developing
nations. The APL thinks this is not nearly enough.
• Although the ADG claim the exploitation will not harm the environment,
some damage is inevitable. The APL is especially worried about
penguins, whose habitats are under pressure.
• The APL reminds us that exploiting fossil fuels will only lengthen our
reliance on coal and gas for energy. They believe we should be moving
away from these polluting methods.
• Leading politicians and CEOs assert their belief in ‘trickle-down’
economics. They are confident that the world economy will grow faster
if Antarctica is exploited.
• The APL is worried about national control of Antarctica. At present, no country possesses any
part of the continent, but that could change if the ADG gets what it wants. How will the
continent be divided, and what laws will it have?
Minerals in the Antarctic: Estimated Deposit Locations

Ni Ti

Cr U

Co Mn

Cu Mb

Au Pb

Ag Fe

The Task:
The two groups – ADG and APL – will prepare short presentations to begin a public debate on
the subject of Antarctic resource exploitation. Your objective is to persuade the public that you
have a reasonable, rational plan for this important area of land. You should also aim to show
that the other group’s plan is irresponsible.

Important: Divide your short presentation among every member of your group so that each
person has something substantial to say.

Once the presentation has finished, the two sides will be invited to ask prepared questions of
each other, asking for more detail on their plan, or criticizing the opposing group’s ideas.
Questions might include:

APL: Don’t you agree that trickle-down economics has been discredited, and that ultimately it
will be businesses, and not the public, which will benefit the most?

ADG: With a growing world population, how can we responsibly starve global development of
trillions of dollars of resources, simply to protect the already flourishing wildlife of Antarctica?