On January 17, 2015 I watched a TED Talk about polar explorer Robert Swan OBE, FRGS and his plea to save Antarctica. (Robert Swan was born in England in 1956, and is the first person to walk to both the North and South Poles.)
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Robert Swan's TED Talk (Oct 2014)
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I learned 2041 will be a pivotal year for our planet. That year will mark the end of a 50-year agreement to keep Antarctica, the Earth's last pristine continent, free of exploitation. (The agreement, The Antarctic Treaty, was signed by 12 countries in 1959, and 38 more since. It prohibits military activities, mineral mining, nuclear explosions and nuclear waste disposal, supports scientific research and protects the continent's ecozone.) Robert Swan is on a mission to ensure that we extend the treaty; so that the last great wilderness in never exploited.
Swan is leading a two-week expedition to Antarctica in March 2016. (The purpose is to engage and inspire the next generation of leaders to take responsibility to build resilient communities and in doing so, preserve Antarctica.) In September I applied, and was accepted to join him!
Seven states maintain claims on 8 territories in Antarctica. I will explore Chile's sliver!
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| Source: http://www.nsf.gov/pubs/1996/nstc96rp/chii.htm |
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Link to next blog post: Life. Who and what live on Antarctica?
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