A young sustainability leader from the UAE spoke about witnessing the devastating effects of climate change in Antarctica after visiting the continent during a heatwave.
Emirati Athra Khamis, 24, spent three weeks on the frozen continent in mid-March when Concordia Station, located high on the Antarctic Plateau, hit a record temperature of -11.8ºC, more than 40ºC above the annual average.
She said the experience was emotional because of the breathtaking beauty, but also because of the very obvious negative effect human beings are having on the continent.
“The heat was extreme, unusual,” said the Emirati from Dubai, who is a Youth 4 Sustainability (Y4S) Future Sustainability Leader for Masdar.
“We experienced rain. At that moment, I felt terrified about what is happening. I have spent a couple of years in the climate change field but being there in the centre of it was different.”
When it rains in Antarctica, it is too dangerous for planes to land.
Ms Khamis was one of four people from the UAE, including the programme’s director, Winston Cowie, who took part in the 2041 ClimateForce: Antarctica Expedition from March 16 to 29.
The trip was organised by the 2041 Foundation, as part of a group of global youth leaders to witness first hand the effects of climate change on the continent and raise awareness of the issue.
Members of the 177-strong expedition, who came from 37 countries, visited Deception Island, an active volcano in the South Shetland Islands.
The island, one of the only places in the world where ships can sail into the centre of a volcano, was once home to a whaling station. It closed in 1931 but its footprint remains.
“There was a massive amount of whale bones still on the shore,” Ms Khamis said.
“And on another island we saw oil tanks, processing tanks, from the 19th century when they extracted the oil from the whale bones,” she said.
At the time, the practice devastated the whale population in Antarctica, although it has since recovered.
An expedition led by the British Antarctic Survey in 2020 counted 55 blue Antarctic whales.
“We saw some whales. It was just incredible. There were two sleeping on the surface next to the boat,” said Mr Cowie, who is marine policy manager at Environment Agency Abu Dhabi.
The expedition was led by Sir Robert Swan, the first man, 30 years ago, to walk to both poles, which included a 900 mile journey to the south pole, the longest unassisted walk ever made on earth.
“Our team from the UAE – Athra, Mahra [Al Murawwi] and Sayesha [Dogra] – once again contributed hugely to the expedition,” he said.
“I am really proud of all of them and the UAE for its vision in being at the forefront of climate action – pursuing net-zero and hosting COP28. Over the years I think we have had 27 people from the UAE on our expeditions.
“I am really proud of all of them and what the future holds.”
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Rufus Thomas, Bear Cat (The Answer to Hound Dog) (1953)
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Johnny Cash and the Tennessee Two, Folsom Prison Blues (1955)
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Three tips from La Perle's performers
1 The kind of water athletes drink is important. Gwilym Hooson, a 28-year-old British performer who is currently recovering from knee surgery, found that out when the company was still in Studio City, training for 12 hours a day. “The physio team was like: ‘Why is everyone getting cramps?’ And then they realised we had to add salt and sugar to the water,” he says.
2 A little chocolate is a good thing. “It’s emergency energy,” says Craig Paul Smith, La Perle’s head coach and former Cirque du Soleil performer, gesturing to an almost-empty open box of mini chocolate bars on his desk backstage.
3 Take chances, says Young, who has worked all over the world, including most recently at Dragone’s show in China. “Every time we go out of our comfort zone, we learn a lot about ourselves,” she says.
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'Worse than a prison sentence'
Marie Byrne, a counsellor who volunteers at the UAE government's mental health crisis helpline, said the ordeal the crew had been through would take time to overcome.
“It was worse than a prison sentence, where at least someone can deal with a set amount of time incarcerated," she said.
“They were living in perpetual mystery as to how their futures would pan out, and what that would be.
“Because of coronavirus, the world is very different now to the one they left, that will also have an impact.
“It will not fully register until they are on dry land. Some have not seen their young children grow up while others will have to rebuild relationships.
“It will be a challenge mentally, and to find other work to support their families as they have been out of circulation for so long. Hopefully they will get the care they need when they get home.”