YOUTH FOR ANTARCTICA

Youth for Antarctica: Kids rally in Helsinki for Greater Protection of Penguins and their Home

On June 1st, to mark World Children’s Day, children, activists, and Antarctic experts will gather in Helsinki to call on countries meeting at a key Antarctic conference to take urgent action to protect Antarctica, its ocean and its wildlife in the face of the accelerating impacts of climate change in the region.

“Kids are the ones that are set to suffer the most from inheriting this climate crisis and it is only right that they get a voice in the future they want for the planet. Antarctica is at the frontline of these changes and its future will be determined by the choices we make now and the measures that we put in place in the short-term.” said Claire Christian, Executive Director of the Antarctic Southern Ocean Coalition (ASOC).

The event is organized by ASOC and its partners, including the Eco-Schools Programme/Foundation for Environmental Education (FEE) Finland, the Pew Bertarelli Ocean Legacy Project, Blue Nature Alliance, Deutsche Umwelthilfe, Greenpeace and the International Cryosphere Climate Initiative (ICCI). Groups hope to raise awareness of the huge threats facing the region and its wildlife from the climate crisis.

A street art tour from the Antarctic conference venue of inspiring Antarctic wildlife creatures culminates in melting ice sculptures displayed in a local park to symbolize the pressure these species are under in the region. Children will hand over cards with drawings and key messages, along with climate scientists, to government delegates urging them to take decisive action at key Antarctic meetings this year, including the 45th Antarctic Treaty Consultative Meeting (ATCM) that is taking place from 29 May till 8 June in Helsinki.

“Antarctica, with its ice sheet and the vast Southern Ocean that surrounds it, is important for our life on Earth. The Antarctic region absorbs enormous amounts of heat and carbon dioxide and harbors a unique diversity of life that we must protect because threats are increasing. Many of the marine animals need sea ice, which has been diminishing for several years. This is also accelerating the loss of ice mass and thus sea level rise. Therefore, Antarctica concerns us all. Coordinating climate and ocean protection has become an urgent human task”, said Antje Boetius, Director at Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research (AWI).

Emperor penguin protection is one of the topics being discussed at the ATCM following failure last year to reach consensus for the species to receive special protection status.  Warming temperatures are accelerating the melting and loss of sea ice that penguins, as well as many other Antarctic wildlife rely upon to breed and feed. This is compounded by commercial fishing that is endangering their homes and feeding grounds.

Many activists are calling for urgent action to stop fossil fuel use that warms the planet and melts Antarctica and for governments meeting in Helsinki to put in place a plan of action that includes the creation of protected areas to protect sensitive ecosystems and habitats, greater attention to projected Antarctic ice sheet loss, sea-level rise and acidification of the Southern Ocean, and to slow down the growth of tourism in the region that has rapidly increased in recent years.

ASOC and its partners are also calling on governments to act now to establish a system of marine protected areas (MPAs) to protect vital habitats in the region. Three large-scale MPA proposals are up for agreement in the Weddell Sea and the waters off East Antarctic, and the Antarctic Peninsula – all key habitats for wildlife such as penguins, seals and whales. Campaigners are calling for urgent adoption of these protection proposals this year at another Antarctic Treaty related body – the Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR).

“Many of the governments gathering in Helsinki tasked with safeguarding Antarctica will meet again in a few weeks in Santiago, Chile, for a special meeting to discuss progress toward creating a network of Antarctic MPAs. While these MPAs can’t stop the changing climate, they are an essential tool in providing some protection for the region’s wildlife by reducing the impact of fishing on the Southern Ocean,” said Andrea Kavanagh, director of Antarctic and Southern Ocean conservation work for the Pew Bertarelli Ocean Legacy Project, which is advocating for additional Southern Ocean MPAs. “This will help species, including penguins, better adapt to the fast-changing environment as well as build resilience in these fragile ecosystems.”

Source Press Release

Photo credit: John Weller