Antarctica—a Global Common that accounts for 10% of the landmass, 70% of the freshwater, and 90% of the ice of planet Earth—is at once the largest repository of data on our climate history and the greatest menace to all our coastal settlements. The threat that Antarctic ice thinning poses to our own lives is real. Suffice to say, the kilometers-thick ice sheet is melting at the accelerated pace of 200 Olympian swimming pools per minute and a total Antarctic meltdown would increase the global sea level by 60 meters, launching the largest migration ever witnessed by humanity.
We collectively need to acknowledge that “What happens in Antarctica does not stay in Antarctica” and that we have a duty to speak up for a continent that has no indigenous people.
The governance of Antarctica relies on the Antarctic Treaty System (ATS) with 54 signatories, 29 of which (representing 15% of the world’s countries) have a Consultative Party status. That status grants them the right to vote binding measures and resolutions pertaining to Antarctic matters. The parties meet once a year at the Antarctic Treaty Consultative Meeting (ATCM) to decide the fate of a continent that is 1.4 times the size of Europe. Both ATCMs and rulings remain mostly unreported by the media with minimum pressure for accountability imposed on the national delegates. We want to change that.
Advocating for intergenerational justice, on the occasion of this year’s ATCM held in Berlin between May 23 and June 2, 2022, we invite you to ‘Speak Up For Antarctica Now’ and call for Antarctic Resolutions to protect Antarctica from threats such as hydrocarbon extraction, biodiversity loss, and sovereignty disputes. To join the movement you can:
Sign the Petitions
To ban hydrocarbon extraction in Antarctica permanently.
To protect 3.8 million sq Km of Antarctic waters.
To commit to international stations in Antarctica.
Join the Rally in Berlin at the Brandenburg Gate on May 27 at 12pm
The Rally is organized by The Antarctic and Southern Ocean Coalition, AWI’s for Future, Deutsche Umwelthilfe, Fridays for Future, Greenpeace Germany, Pew Bertarelli Ocean Legacy, Scientists for Future, and UNLESS.
Project by UNLESS | Campaign concept and wording: UNLESS with Carlo Barbante, James N. Barnes and Alan D. Hemmings | Campaign design: UNLESS with Studio Vedet and Hauhaug | Partner: Only One