Agenda Antártica

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Welcome - Thank you for joining us in the conservation of the world's largest nature sanctuary!

When many initiatives are still too few!
What are we doing?

  • An important initiative for the future of the Planet - your help counts!

    Marine Protected Areas

    Antarctica's Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) are a testament to the world's efforts to preserve one of the last pristine areas on Earth. Encompassing vast expanses of the Southern Ocean surrounding the Antarctic continent, these protected areas are critical to safeguarding the unique and fragile ecosystems that thrive in this remote and inhospitable environment.

  • BECAUSE WE ARE BORROWING THE PLANET FROM FUTURE GENERATIONS

    Youth for Antarctica

    We are young people with an Antarctic vocation with the mission to contribute to global conservation efforts to protect Antarctica and the Southern Oceans, from a Latin American perspective.

    In partnership with global leaders in motivating change such as Linda Cruse (www.lindacruse.com) we are committed to train 100,000 young leaders in the next 10 years.

    Will you join us in our dream?.

  • CAMPAIGN TO MAKE ANTARCTICA WHITE AGAIN

    Microplastics in Antarctica and the Southern Ocean

    Antarctica is traditionally known for its white landscapes on world maps. But now, this is changing. The continent has become contaminated with microplastics.

    In collaboration with Graham Bartram, we have reimagined the Antarctic flag to represent its current reality, characterized by microplastic pollution.

    Join us in calling on the global community to combat plastic pollution by passing a comprehensive Global Plastics Treaty.

    During the COP28 climate change summit in Dubai we launched the joint work to bring back the iconic white color to Antarctica.

  • THERE ARE OPTIONS FOR A CLEANER WORLD; LET'S GO FOR THEM!

    Renewable Energies

    By 2021, only 29 Antarctic Bases have incorporated renewable energy sources into their energy systems, but only one permanent station and four summer stations use renewable energy to cover more than 50% of their energy needs.

  • SHARING AND COLLABORATING IS THE WAY - A COLLABORATION TOOL

    Journal of Antarctic Affairs

    The Journal of Antarctic Affairs is the academic publication of the Antarctic Agenda Foundation and the Antarctic and Southern Ocean Coalition (ASOC). Its aim is to publish multidisciplinary research on policy, environment, technology, culture and economics in the Antarctic and Southern Ocean region. The Journal is published once a year in both English and Spanish (the only bilingual journal in these languages globally).

    The Antarctic continent is the best example of international cooperation and we have been doing our bit since 2014.

  • THE FASCINATION FOR THIS INCREDIBLE WORLD NEVER ENDS.

    Did you know that...?

    The Antarctic Peninsula stands out as one of the major hotspots of accelerated warming in the Southern Hemisphere. As the ocean warms and sea ice melts rapidly, it triggers a cascade of ecosystem-wide impacts. This place is changing faster than most points south, and it's shaking things up as waters warm and sea ice becomes scarce.

Renewable energies

By 2021, 29 facilities have incorporated renewable energy sources into their energy systems, but only one permanent station and four summer stations use renewable energy to cover more than 50% of their energy needs. Four main objectives behind the development of renewable energy systems have been identified: fuel cost savings; reduction of the greenhouse gas emissions footprint in line with national decarbonization targets; provision of electricity for scientific equipment during the winter months; and the development and/or testing of new technologies.

The extreme climatic conditions and complex logistics of Antarctica subject both solar and wind systems to enormous operational, technological and budgetary challenges.

Agenda Antártica also investigated the issue and reflected it in the publication Renewables in Antarctica: an assessment of progress to decarbonize the energy matrix of research facilities | Antarctic Science | Cambridge Core and brought it to the discussion of the Plenary of the Antarctic Treaty Consultative Meeting.

What is the problem?

One of the largest impacts of human activity in Antarctica comes from the operation of the 91 Antarctic stations, laboratories, and camps, referred to as “facilities” in this paper. They provide accommodation for over 4000 people in summer and 1000 in winter (Wolf Reference Wolf2015) and rely heavily on fossil fuels for power generation and transportation. However, supplying fuels to Antarctica is not only expensive, but also dangerous, as the risk of oil spills and fires (ASOC 2009) poses a safety hazard with potential long-term environmental consequences.

What can we do?

The deployment of renewable energy at Antarctic stations has accelerated over the past 15 years as wind and solar technologies became more available and affordable and technological development expanded on a global scale.

-Saving fuel costs, reducing greenhouse gas emissions in line with national decarbonization goals, supplying electricity to scientific teams during winter months, and developing and/or testing new technologies are the four main objectives underlying the development of Antarctic renewable energy systems. According to the interviews conducted, most stations have plans to continue the decarbonization of their energy systems over the next 10 years.

-Budgetary constraints are a common barrier to further deployment of Antarctic renewable energy systems. From public funding as in the case of Germany to reliance on private sponsors as in Uruguay and Belgium or through the sale of Renewable Energy Certificates in Australia, stations have relied on a combination of both public and private funding to support the installation and operation of renewable energy systems.

-Long-term budget planning is necessary, including the cost not only of maintenance, but also of training the personnel in charge of operating the energy systems.

Discover our work

Who are we?

Non-profit organization (2012) that promotes policies towards Antarctic conservation from a Latin American perspective.

Where do we come from?

Co-editor together with ASOC of Antarctic Affairs (9 years), governmental lobbying, educational activities and environmental impact work.

Our vision

Key environmental organization in Latin America that promotes the conservation of Antarctica and the Southern Oceans.

What we do

Policy advocacy, political lobbying, stakeholder engagement, civil society awareness and education.

Our advisors

In our commitment to promote the conservation of Antarctica and the Southern Oceans, we rely on a distinguished group of advisors who contribute their experience and knowledge. These experts in diverse areas play a key role in our organization.

Together, we have the power to influence the future of Antarctica and all of humanity. “The creation of marine protected areas is very important because the first thing it does is to protect the overall biodiversity of a place (…). By removing the stress effect caused by fishing from these areas, it allows the ecosystem, thanks to its natural resilience, to cope with the impact of climate change.”

Dr. Rodolfo Werner

Senior Advisor, ASOC