Can you put a price tag on a continent that nobody owns?

Antarctica is the world's largest uninhabitable landmass, yet it provides essential environmental services. This episode explores the economics of a continent without a government, featuring a look at life at McMurdo Station and a discussion on why we should value the planet's frozen frontier.

Antarctica remains a unique case in global economics as a territory that no nation owns. The episode visits McMurdo Station, the continent's largest human settlement, to hear from a former store manager who worked there during the 1980s, highlighting how standard retail practices do not apply in such an isolated environment.

Beyond the logistics of life on the ice, the episode features an economist who attempts to calculate the monetary value of the continent. She argues that we should view the environment as a service, providing tangible benefits to the world despite the land being uninhabitable. The discussion concludes the 2026 Summer School series by showcasing listener-submitted economic ideas, including the concept of 'ecosystem as a service' and the use of rotating savings associations known as consórcios.

Source: The continent nobody owns & everyone benefits from (Summer School) | Planet Money