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.

While nations work to address climate change, we can also act this year to secure the creation of three vast marine sanctuaries in the Southern Ocean.

In October 2021, delegations are considering three new marine protected areas (MPAs) at the Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR) meeting. Together, the East Antarctica, Antarctic Peninsula, and Weddell Sea MPAs would protect almost 1 percent of the ocean globally by covering approximately four million square kilometers and represent the largest act of ocean protection in history.

At a time when vital Antarctic ecosystems are being impacted by a warming planet, continued inaction is not an option.

What happens on and around this remote continent will impact communities across the world, especially those already disproportionately suffering from the devastating consequences of climate change and rising sea levels, such as coastal communities and small island nations. Leading ocean conservation organizations—including the Antarctic and Southern Ocean Coalition, Antarctica 2020, Ocean Unite, Only One, The Pew Charitable Trusts, and SeaLegacy—are coming together to advocate for action this year, but we need your help to protect Antarctica for future generations.

See why Antarctica’s future is our future in our series The Greatest Sanctuary

Add your name to the petition below urging Emmanuel Macron (President of France), Angela Merkel (Chancellor of Germany), Ursula von der Leyen (President of the European Commission), Vladimir Putin (President of Russia), Xi Jinping (President of China), and other leaders from CCAMLR member nations to protect Antarctica’s waters, and help build momentum by sharing the campaign on Facebook and Twitter with #Antarctica2021