Choosing Antarctica's Future

Professor Tim Naish, the New Zealand Antarctica Society's National Speaker for 2019, will present two narratives for the future of Antarctica and the Southern Ocean in 50 and 300 years' time.

In the first scenario, greenhouse gas emissions remain unchecked, the climate continues to warm, and the policy response is ineffective; this has large ramifications in Antarctica and the Southern Ocean, with worldwide impacts.

In the second scenario, ambitious action is taken to limit greenhouse gas emissions and to establish policies that reduce pollution, slowing the rate of change in Antarctica.

The choices we make in today will determine Antarctica's long term future.