Antarctica
at Risk from Human Activities
Penguins nest. (Credit: © Goinyk Volodymyr / Fotolia)
In the article 'Antarctica at Risk from Human activities', by Science Daily, renowned professor of
oceanography, Mahlon Kennicutt declared that the environment of Antarctica is at an
increased risk due to human intervention. The treaty that was signed in 1962 to
ensure preservation of this continent’s natural beauty and resources is under
pressure because of drastic, global climate changes, overhunting and the
potential for oil, gas and mineral exploitation. An international team of researchers
claim that environmental management will be required to conserve the earth’s
last greatest wilderness area.
The article states that over 90% of the Earth’s fresh water
in locked up in this region in the form of solidified, ice sheets. This begs
the question of whether it would be really damaging to the environment if some
of these water resources can be tapped and distributed to third world countries
who usually suffer from water scarcity and if so, what would be the best means
to do this in order to preserve the Antarctic? Ocean acidification and its impact on marine
life is another concern that is highlighted in this article. However, the
causes behind these aquatic changes have not been mentioned. It also talks
about future interests of people in acquiring minerals/oil/gas from here,
although it has been forbidden by the treaty. Again, the author does not
elaborate on the potential effects that these activities would have on the
surrounding environment. Pollution is another problem that the author speaks of
and so is encroachment of invasive species. I think this article would be more
persuasive and interesting if it contained relevant information about the
interaction of the current biological species and how these interactions would
be affected by invasive species. Would there be more predators? Would this lead
to food shortage for the current species? Would the ecological diversity cause
a massive divergence from the original populations due to inter-breeding? These
question remain unanswered after reading this article but stimulate the reader
to learn more about these issues related to Antarctica and especially how these
changes would affect other continents. I would be interested in knowing these
minute details and what actions could be taken to cause as little damage as
possible to the environment if the Earth has to turn to Antarctica’s natural
resources in the future, in dire circumstances.
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ReplyDeleteA very interesting and fact filled article, that made me wonder how certain species survive on this continent that is void of all the basic necessities. Some of the points stated in this article make me wonder - how tourism, even in very rare cases, exists on this continent ? To answer one of your questions - if there would be a food shortage for the current species? In my view at the rate at which global warming is increasing each day leading to climate changes, irrational human activities, pollution and as mentioned in this article exploitation of the ocean will definitely decrease the marine life that most of the polar bears and other mammals that live in Antarctica live off of. Thus in my view the above mentioned human activities would most definitely have adverse effects on the animal life of the continent because of the diminishing marine life .
ReplyDeleteI was shocked to learn that 90% of the Earth's freshwater is locked up in this region in the form of ice sheets. It is amazing to think about how little we understand about where our water comes from. If Antartica continues to face enviornmental changes that negatively affect the landscape and freshwater surfaces, not only is the United States at danger, but the world is at danger. In conjunction with watching the movie "Flow" about the world's water resources it is important to understand that there is not an unlimited supply of water and if humans continue to deplete our water sources, soon the planet will not have any water. Considering this article, and its emphasis on how pollution has affected the Antartic region, it is interesting to consider Kuletz's perspective on how Euroamericans must remember that they do not exist outside of nature, but rather within the boundaries of nature.
ReplyDeleteAlthough the article mentions that the Antarctic Treaty System has helped protect Antarctica from oil, gas and mineral exploitation in order to sustain the habitats that live there. That treaty alone cannot be the only factor of trying to preserve Antarctica's natural resources and beauty. The bigger focus needs to be placed on the indirect effect of global warming as it will effect not only Antartica's habitats but also the rest of the worlds. The fact that Antarctica contains 90 % of the Earth's freshwater means that if temperatures were to rise high enough, then the melting of those glaciers would not only cause sea levels to rise, potentially impacting cities on the coast but would, most importantly, cause that to no longer be a resource for fresh water in the future. Maintaining fresh water is a much dire need that exploitation of gas, as it is essential to our survival, making it the main reason it should be the next focus of protection. In the future, access to fresh water will have a much higher importance than it does now, as we won't have as many options of obtaining it.
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