The science is clear. We are facing the two most profound environmental challenges of our existence – climate change and loss of biodiversity. We must act decisively in cutting emissions, and confront the loss of biodiversity with the best tools that we have – protected areas. Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) have been shown to vastly increase biodiversity, abundance and ecosystem health, and provide resilience to climate change. And no place is changing faster than Antarctica.
This year, we can secure the largest act of ocean protection in history.
2020 saw the highest temperatures ever recorded on the Antarctic continent, at over 20 degrees Celsius (68 degrees Fahrenheit). With melting ice, warming waters, and increased fishing, all of the creatures that live there need us more than ever. But we need Antarctica just as much. This vast icy continent is critical to stabilizing our climate, and it circulates vital ocean nutrients that sustain fish populations, and humans, all over the world.