In June 1988, the parties involved in the Antarctic Treaty concluded the Antarctic Minerals Convention which paved the way for mining in Antarctic. Horrified, Cousteau joined the Antarctic & Southern Ocean Coalition (ASOC) and Greenpeace to be part of the World Park Antarctica campaign.
This resulted in the 1991 Environmental Protection Protocol to the Antarctic Treaty, which is one of the most significant pieces of international environmental legislation. It guarantees mining ban until at least 2048 and commits signatories to the environmental protection of the continent.