Our November meeting featured a talk given by Camilla Nicol on the subject of the UK’s Antarctic Heritage Trust. She traced the history of Antarctica from its discovery by Captain Cook on his voyage around the world to the epic adventures of Captain Scott and Ernest Shackleton. Since the end of WW2 the Heritage Trust of UK, and similar organisations from a host of other countries, have invested time and effort in preserving the camps of early explorers. In addition, a great amount of research has been carried out on the infrastructure of Antarctica and, in more recent times, on the effects of climate change on the Earth’s most southern continent. Approximately 60,000 tourists visit the area each year during the summer months, but even in winter it accommodates 3000 permanent research staff. In common with cold areas throughout the world, the size and depth of glaciers is shrinking at an accelerating pace due to global warming. Whether Antarctica could provide a suitable climate for the human race to survive if more central areas on Earth become too hot to sustain life, remains unknown.
Registered charity number: 273136