The Seventh Continent

Book excerpt: First Published in 2011. Part of the resources for the future library collection on Global Environment and Development, this is the final Volume of seven. This book presents a broad-ranging study of Antarctica's history, politics, and development prospects with a command of issues in geography, science policy, technology, and international law, which is addressed with authority and flair. At this time, nations of the world are struggling to fashion a legal framework to govern Antarctic resources, which some regard as the common heritage of mankind. This debate, described vividly here, represents an ongoing application of the common-property resource concept, which has played a prominent role in RFF's research and analytical contributions during the past quarter-century. Furthermore, the continent's energy and minerals endowment-if exploitable at all (and in the author's judgment the prospects for this are dim)-constitute at best resources for the future.