Protection of the Environment

The protection of the Antarctic environment and dependent and associated ecosystems is a core provision of the Protocol on Environmental Protection to the Antarctic Treaty 1991. The COMNAP Members are government entities bound to the provisions of the Protocol through their government’s commitment.

As an organisation and through the COMNAP Secretariat, protection of the Antarctic environment by supporting and sharing best practice in regards to cooperative approaches and practices, is a key focus of our organisation’s activities and discussions.

Sustainability for COMNAP means caring for the environment, including at a local level, and fostering strong community relationships while contributing towards a positive, enduring future.

- COMNAP Sustainability Statement (2024)

Increasing efficiency and reducing fossil fuel use demonstrates leadership and also significantly lowers costs for programmes

National Antarctic Programs are considering how a changing Antarctica may impact their built infrastructure as a matter of safety of human life, to ensure continuing support to research, and to meet their environmental obligations related to their Antarctic activities.

Through COMNAP, National Antarctic Programs are working to understand how local and regional changes in their areas of operations might create new impacts to existing Antarctic infrastructure and how they can “future-proof” planned, or currently under consideration, built infrastructure.

ATCM XLV Resolution E (2023) Helsinki Declaration on Climate Change and the Antarctic states, inter alia, that ATCPs and CEP Members:

“Encourage all Antarctic operators, including national Antarctic programs, tourist and non-governmental operators to continue to reduce their carbon footprints and investigate pathways and move towards carbon neutral (‘net zero’) operations, as well as to reduce their impacts on the Antarctic environment and its associated and dependent ecosystems and to continue deliberations on possible policy recommendations to this end;”

COMNAP Alternative Fuels Taskforce

The COMNAP Alternative Fuels Taskforce Terms of Reference (Draft) are:  

1. Report (desktop study) on global progress and status of alternatives to carbon-based fuels for use in aviation (Sustainable Aviation Fuels (SAF)) and vessels (Sustainable Marine Fuels (SMF) or Alternative Marine Fuels (AMF)). 

2. Informally survey the COMNAP Membership for current and near-future requirements for SAF, SMF and AMF in support of national Antarctic program operations in line with their national/governmental targets or ambitions related to CO2 emissions. 

3. Share any information on suitability of SAF, SMF and AMF to Antarctic conditions and activities, including sharing of examples of use of or trials with SFA, SMF or AMF in the Antarctic (and/or Arctic?). 

4. Consider Antarctic infrastructure changes or requirements for handling and storage of SAF, SMF and AMF in the Antarctic Treaty area. (Including additional/new training requirements/). 

5. Survey the traditional deployment points to Antarctica to understand country policies, and local [or regional] availability of SAF, SMF and AMF. Provide brief summaries to the COMNAP Membership from these traditional deployment points on a regular basis while conveying requirements for SAF, SMF and AMF from the national Antarctic programs to authorities at those deployment points. 

6. Provide relevant and timely information to inform COMNAP papers and COMNAP advice to the ATCMs, the CEP, and other meetings or organisations. 


Actively participating in the creation of a pathway to a low carbon future is positive for all programmes.

The goal of the COMNAP Antarctic Forest project is to assist national Antarctic programs to meet their emission offset targets in relation to inter-continental Antarctic travel, through a COMNAP-led initiative that will work at the interface with programs, departure point countries, local communities, and other stakeholders to development robust local solutions with maximum environmental benefits for all involved. Therefore, surrounding the Antarctic Treaty Area with an “Antarctic Forest”.