A number of candidates and applicants have asked very good questions about the environmental impact of this expedition, particularly because of all the air travel involved, and the fact of visiting the Antarctic Peninsula in a fuel-burning ship. This document will address some of these considerations and will also provide some answers and rationale for any sponsors who may ask the same questions, too.
First, we appreciate when Expedition participants are keeping their environmental footprint in mind. And yes, this Expedition does have an impact. It will realistically be at least several decades until humans are able to travel to these remote regions with zero impact – the technology (especially as it pertains to transportation) is just not 100% clean yet, unfortunately. That being said, there are some things to consider when weighing the impact vs. outcomes:
1. Together, The Explorer’s Passage and 2041 ClimateForce developed and have implemented the “Polar Carbon Negative Initiative”, which not only offsets the carbon footprint of the entire Expedition (i.e. going ‘carbon neutral’) but which goes even further than that and makes the Expedition carbon negative. More information on this is in the image below as well as in this article:
2. You can also find out more about the carbon reduction partners that ClimateForce works with here: http://www.theclimateforce.org/restore/
3. The Expedition strictly observes the guidance of the International Association of Antarctica Tour Operators (IAATO), whose mission is “to advocate, promote and practice safe and environmentally responsible private sector tourism to the Antarctic.” You can find some examples of their guidelines for minimizing impact while visiting Antarctica here, in their Visitor Guidelines Library
4. Furthermore, The Explorer’s Passage observes a Leave No Trace policy and puts sustainability first in its travels. More information can be found here: https://explorerspassage.com/sustainability/ . You can also read a blog post from Jeff Bonaldi, the CEO of TEP, about the importance of sustainable travel.
5. The ship Ocean Atlantic also observes a number of sustainability-oriented practices on board, from an advanced recycling program to the use of biodegradable cleaning and laundry solutions.
6. Finally, there is no better teacher than the immediacy of “being there” (especially for people that have never experienced Antarctica). Hosting an outdoor classroom experience in Antarctica is profoundly unique and eye-opening, and it helps convey the realities of climate change in a much more visceral way. A person can read about the ways anthropogenic climate change is affecting our vulnerable polar regions all day, but absolutely nothing makes it more real and more urgent than personally witnessing glaciers melting with your own eyes and ears, or sailing next to sections of the Larsen B ice shelf that have broken off prematurely. Even more importantly, the fact that you will have been one of very few to take part in an Expedition like this (and will return with photos, videos, and stories) helps capture the attention and interest of others, thus better allowing you to communicate the lessons you learned in Antarctica and the tangible ways in which we can all be better stewards of our Earth.
The Explorer’s Passage and the 2041 ClimateForce team take this impact very seriously and intend to ‘restore balance’ as much as possible. This is especially relevant considering the primary mission of these expeditions is to develop and train leaders to go off into the world as advocates for Antarctica and the polar regions (“Antarctic Ambassadors”), and to use the tools they are equipped with on each Expedition to continue positively impacting their communities, institutions, companies, and governments for the benefit of the planet we all call home. Countless Expedition alumni have gone on to do truly incredible things, all inspired by their Expedition experiences. As a result, we feel that it is truly worth it, for all the reasons outlined above.
Antarctica Landscape by T.Branson
This piece was prepared online by Panuruji Kenta, Publisher, SEVENSEAS Media