The Madrid Protocol 1991 and its Environmental Impacts towards the Quality of Life

In 1991, the Madrid Protocol on environmental protection in Antarctica was added to the Antarctic Treaty. Antarctica has a central role in determining the Earth's climate and oceanic circulation patterns. The environmental principles in the Protocol include requirements for prior assessment for all activities. The environmental impacts of all activities is necessary to assess predicted impacts towards the quality of life in Antarctica and elsewhere. Antarctica faces a number of challenges, which have significant environmental implications. This paper explores the conceptual relationship between the quality of life and the Protocol and the wider implication of the concept.