Polityczne i prawne aspekty prowadzenia badań naukowych w rejonach polarnych

The Arctic and Antarctic have been of great interest to the international community for a number of years. The still unresolved problem regardingpolar regions is the still partially regulated legal issues concerning the management of these areas. Both the Arctic and Antarctica are areas of potentiallygreat scientific, economic, political and military importance. The political and legal status of polar areas is not uniform. Currently, there is no legalinternational document that would regulate issues related to the management of the Arctic region. The political and legal status of Antarctica wasdetermined in 1959 in Washington. The Antarctic Treaty regulates in detail the activities in this region. Territorial claims are a particularly importantproblem. A number of countries prove their territorial rights to both the Arctic and Antarctic. The Arctic division is discussed within five countries,without the participation of the international community, while the Antarctic Treaty arrangements have put these issues on ice until 2049. Internationalcooperation in the field of research of polar regions has a long history and is confirmed by bilateral and international agreements. Conducted researchin the Arctic and Antarctic relate to various scientific problems. Investigations of processes taking place on Earth on a global scale are of particularimportance, both in historical and prognostic perspective. The history of Polish polar research is rich, multi-faceted and dates back to the second half ofthe nineteenth century. Contemporary Polish polar research focuses on a number of problems: glaciology and periglacial phenomena, climatology,geomorphology, hydrology, and geo-ecosystems dynamics. Polish scientific activity, in these regions, significantly develops our positive relations withthe international community.