Clinton urges Antarctica enviro-guards

BALTIMORE, April 6 (UPI) -- Protection of the Antarctic region against increased tourism is the goal of a proposal to the Antarctic Treaty, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said.

"Strengthening environmental regulation is especially as important as tourism to the Antarctica increases," Clinton said Monday during the 32nd Antarctic Treaty Consultative Meeting in Baltimore. "The United States is concerned about the safety of the tourists and the suitability of the ships that make the journey south. "

The U.S. resolution would place limits on landings from ships with large numbers of tourists, as well as

list new requirements for lifeboats "to make sure they can keep passengers alive until rescue comes," she said. "And we urge greater international cooperation to prevent discharges from these ships that will further degrade the environment around the Antarctica."

The Obama administration is committed to working with world leaders to battle climate change globally, Clinton said, noting that focus must be heightened on both the Arctic and the Antarctic regions.

"We need to increase our attention not only to the Antarctic, but to the Arctic as well," she said.

Clinton said the United States strongly supports the Antarctic Treaty and its purpose of maintaining the continent as "a place of peace and to use the science that can only be performed there to benefit the entire planet."

She said President Barack Obama sent to the U.S. Senate an accompanying document to the treaty's environmental protection protocol that deals with liability arising from environmental emergencies.