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Madhya Pradesh Daughter Ishani’s Journey to Antarctica to Save Our Planet from Climate Change

Madhya Pradesh Daughter Ishani’s Journey to Antarctica to Save Our Planet from Climate Change
Madhya Pradesh Daughter Ishani’s Journey to Antarctica to Save Our Planet from Climate Change

ITDC INDIA EPRESS/ ITDC NEWS / REPORT: ANURAG PANDEY/  Ishani Palandurkar who is the first woman from Madhya Pradesh, India to have ever landed in Antarctica. The 26-year-old woman hails from Bhopal and was one of the 150 participants across the world to have been selected for the 2041 ClimateForce Antarctic Expedition. The expedition is led by the world-renowned explorer and environmentalist, Sir Robert Swan (OBE, FRGS), founder of the 2041 Foundation, and his son, Barney Swan, founder of ClimateForce.

The expedition was held between 17th – 28th March 2022 where the team sailed from Ushuaia, Argentina to the Antarctic Peninsula. Ishani worked for a year to raise awareness of Antarctic conservation and raise $15,000 to participate in the expedition through fundraising and consulting assignments.

The expedition is a capacity-building program on climate change that trained its participants on issues such as wildlife in Antarctica, international climate negotiations, climate finance, afforestation, and ice loss. Ishani herself witnessed the effects of climate change on her journey.

“We were taken on a hike to the Martial Glacier in Ushuaia which is one of the prime sources of drinking water in the city. The expedition leaders who have been walking this expedition for 30 years told us that the glacier has retreated dramatically and until a few years ago, it would all ice and snow where we were standing today.

Similarly, Antarctica is the world's largest desert. It snows there and does not rain as such. However, while we were there, it rained for hours. Our leader, Robert Swan, confirmed that the landscape of Antarctica has changed a lot since he first visited in the 1980s.”

Ishani also participated in the sessions learning about how climate change is, directly and indirectly, affecting its wildlife. “Warming causes glaciers to melt and break disrupts the wildlife and food cycle of wildlife on that chunk and on the area where the ice mass moves to. Reduction in krill population is also alarming as many species including penguins depend on krill and fishes for their food.”

Along with the informative sessions, Ishani also joined the team in exploring wildlife, islands, and landscapes in Western Antarctica, which is most affected by climate change. “More than 80% of glaciers in Western Antarctica are in retreat and if you see the projection of surface warming, this region has warmed the most in the past 50 years”. While the team was disconnected from the rest of the world, they were informed of the updates from nearby research stations and one of them recorded a 50-degrees Celsius increase in the temperature in that region which is extremely threatening for the rest of the world.

During her journey, she crossed one of the world’s roughest seas called the Drake Passage to reach Antarctica. She visited Pleneau Island, Port Charcot, Neko Harbour, Paradise Harbour, Ceiro Cove, Mickelson Harbour, and Deception Island. The most fascinating part of the journey was the stories she heard of exploration of parts of Antarctica and when they sailed right into the crater of an active volcano in Antarctica which can set off anytime now. 

The Indian contingent in Antarctica is committed to educating its citizens and civil societies. Ishani is currently working with her team to curate a curriculum on Antarctic and wildlife conservation for schools in India as well as raise awareness in India. “The Antarctica Treaty that currently protects Antarctica from the mineral exploration and business is up for renewal around the year 2041 and we want every country to vote to protect the continent for years to come. Antarctica is the global thermostat of our planet, if this goes down, we will not survive at all.”

Ishani is a Master’s student at Duke University, USA, studying Environmental Economics and Policy. Prior to joining Duke, Ishani has worked in the space of air pollution, climate-resilient agriculture, energy access, and climate policy in India. She is a graduate of Kirori Mal College, University of Delhi, and has been actively working on climate action since 2016.

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