Tourists visit Orne Harbur in South Shetland Islands, Antarctica on November 08, 2019. — File Photo by Johan ORDONEZ/AFP
Tourism in Antarctica is causing serious environmental damage, a report warned recently, calling for restrictions and reforms to reduce carbon emissions on the southernmost continent.
The report, published in the Science Advances journal, suggested a rise in maritime tourism, along with fires in the southern hemisphere, is associated with a concentration of black carbon in the Antarctic Peninsula.
Ice with higher levels of black carbon absorbs more radiation from the Sun and melts faster than clean ice, exacerbating the process of ice loss due to global warming.
Author Newton Magalhães from Rio de Janeiro State University in Brazil said "tourism in Antarctica is becoming an ecologically unsustainable activity."
"The impact caused by the increasing number of tourists has surpassed the mitigation strategies" adopted by agencies, Magalhães warned.
Figures from the International Association of Antarctica Tour Operators (IAATO), a group of tourism agencies active on the continent, show that the number of tourist ship visits has risen from fewer than 200 in 2003 to 540 in the 2023-24 summer season.
While advocates argue that Antarctic tourism raises awareness and helps to preserve the continent's pristine environment, Magalhães said "smoke emissions from ships and motorized boats" can be tied to higher concentrations of black carbon.
The author argued that agencies must "rethink their strategies and find technological solutions to reduce black carbon emissions."
If not, operators "will need to scale down their activities, restricting the number of tourists," Magalhães added.
In addition, "extreme wildfire events" in South America and Australia are also believed to cause a concentration of black carbon.
"An international effort is needed to combat forest fires," he stated. – dpa
