The Antarctic region offers a crucial case-study for the future implementation of the Global Plastics Treaty currently being negotiated. The Antarctic region shares many of the same governance challenges as the high seas: extreme remoteness, jurisdictional complexity, fragmented governance frameworks, and a persistent gap between scientific evidence and binding regulatory action. Examining how plastic pollution is governed in Antarctic waters and how Australia navigates it, provides insights into the structural barriers in addressing marine plastic protection outside national jurisdictions.
Drawing on my PhD research, this presentation examines governance of marine plastic pollution across the overlapping governance frameworks that apply to Antarctica and the Southern Ocean. My research combines document analysis with qualitative interview data, including perspectives from members of the Australian Antarctic Division. These insider perspectives reveal how plastic pollution is understood, prioritised, and managed at the operational level in the Antarctic region.
The findings identify governance fragmentation as the central challenge: inconsistent standards, practical issues, limited enforcement capacity, and a science-policy interface that struggles to convert growing empirical evidence of plastic contamination into coordinated regulatory action. Australia's experience as a leading Antarctic Treaty Consultative Party and CCAMLR Member reveals how genuine political commitment can be constrained by consensus-based multilateral processes and increasing geopolitical tensions. With the ongoing Global Plastics Treaty negotiations, this Antarctic case study offers a timely reflection on the governance reforms needed to effectively deal with increasing plastic pollution.