What happens to Antarctica, happens to us

Arun Karthik Mynapally undertook a journey to the far off land of Antarctica. What he saw confirms that climate change is a topic of serious concern

Why did you want to get involved with an expedition so unusual?

I have been a traveler since I was younger. I also like nature. So, when I heard that some friends of mine had travelled to Antarctica, it created an urge to see a land so pristine. Antarctica also acts as a thermostat to the rest of the world by keeping the temperature in check for all of us. I thought going there would be quite something.

Could you share some details of how you got to Antarctica?

I sailed along some 120-130 people in a 100% carbon-neutral ship. There were people from various walks of life - painters, PhD scholars, scientists, and more onboard. Titled ACE 2023 (Antarctic Climate Expedition 2023), the journey took about 8 days.

The cruise was titled Antarctic Climate Expedition, indicating that the voyage was a step in the area of climate change. In which way was it meant to serve climate change?

It served as a stimulus. We went there to observe the changes in the continent that could affect climate change. We saw ice bergs melt, which was a bad sign for climate conservation. We also sampled the water there which is said to be infected with micro-plastic (the lab test results haven’t come yet). Some experts observed the habit patterns of penguins, to understand what changes in climate have affected the penguin behavior.

I personally was thrilled to see a whale close to me.

Now that you are back in India after having seen the effects of climate change, have you included some practices in your lifestyle that could be a contribution to climate conservation?

Not at this moment. It’s a little early for me. However, I do give the sight of spotting only one whale some thinking. Why was there only one whale in sight?! Climate change sure is a thing to take seriously.