Antarctica Gets Insurance Against Ecological Disasters

Approximately 30,000 tourists visit Antarctic every year, which far out numbers scientists working there. Increasing numbers of people in Antarctic mean more danger to the environment, like the 1989 sinking of the Argentine ship "Bahia Paraiso," which spilled hundreds of tons of fuel into its pristine waters.

The agreement to ensure polluters are responsible for any and all environmental damages to Antarctica must be adopted by the Treaty Organization. However, the deal is complicated because seven countries claim Antarctic territory while other countries recognize no sovereignty claims at all.

The Antarctic became the world's first and only demilitarized continent under a 1959 treaty, under which all signatory countries agreed to suspend their claims.