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Pressure from human activity/Increased tourism is damaging Antarctica's ecosystems

2025-08-24 19:47:00, Kosova & Bota CNA

Pressure from human activity/Increased tourism is damaging Antarctica's

Antarctica, Earth's last great wilderness, is facing increasing pressure from human activity.

A new study published in Nature Sustainability warns that growing tourism and expanding research bases are polluting the southern continent, accelerating snowmelt and threatening fragile ecosystems already at risk from climate change.

Researchers from Chile, Germany and the Netherlands spent four years traveling 2,000 kilometers across Antarctica to measure pollution.

They found that in areas where humans have an active presence, concentrations of toxic metals such as nickel, copper and lead are now 10 times higher than they were four decades ago.

In the 2024-2025 season, 118,491 tourists have traveled to the region so far. More than 80,000 have set foot on Antarctic soil and approximately 36,000 have viewed it from ship decks.

Even though guidelines are in place, from limiting shore landings to mandating biosecurity checks, the visit itself can be a problem. Previous research has shown that the average tourist trip generates 5.44 tons of CO2 emissions per passenger./CNA





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