: ‘What Antarctica’s -40°C Weather Iceberg Graveyard Taught Me About Climate Change’ #IndiaNEWS #Climate Change In March 2022, Anup Misal, a 23-year-old working with the flower and farm waste

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‘What Antarctica’s -40°C Weather Iceberg Graveyard Taught Me About Climate Change’ #IndiaNEWS #Climate Change
In March 2022, Anup Misal, a 23-year-old working with the flower and farm waste recycling startup Phool. co, represented India at the 2041 Climate Force Antarctica Expedition organised by the 2041 Foundation. It’s a non-profit founded by Sir Robert Charles Swan, the first person in history to walk to both the North and South Poles. Anup was among 138 participants selected from 17 countries to start the 12-day expedition to Antarctica from March 17.
(Image above of Anup Misal on the left and of a Weddell seal, Location: Port Charcot, on the right)
The expedition aimed to study the impact of climate change on Antarctica. Anup was selected for the programme after a gruelling year-round application process with sponsorship coming from various organisations led by Datar Security and Service Group (DSSG), a private security firm. Support also came from the private security companys group CEO Adel Singh Bhinder and Phool. co founder Ankit Agarwal.
Earlier this month, he spoke to The Better India and shared some photographs, highlighting his experiences in Antarctica, and how the vagaries of climate change are affecting its ecosystem.
Iceberg Graveyard; Location: Pleneau Island (Image courtesy Anup Misal)
Journey to the end of the earth
It was a year before the expedition in March 2021 when he first read about the 2041 Climate Force Antarctica Expedition. “Swan started this mission to create a cohort of climate ambassadors who will raise their voices and help save Antarctica. This expedition was about taking us to Antarctica and witnessing the effects of climate change first hand,� says Anup.
He began his journey by taking a flight from Delhi to Buenos Aires, Argentina, via Amsterdam. From Buenos Aires, he took another flight to Ushuaia, the capital of Tierra del Fuego, an archipelago at the southern tip of South America. Ushuaia serves as a port of call for Antarctic cruises. There, he was quarantined for three days because of COVID-19 protocols, besides undergoing mandatory testing. After testing negative, Anup boarded the ship Ocean Victory and set sail for Antarctica on 18 March.
“From Ushuaia, we travelled through the Beagle Channel, a long and narrow interoceanic passage. After crossing this, we went through the Drake Passage, an infamously rough passage given how the currents at this latitude meet no resistance from any landmass, anywhere on the planet. The tides were about 20 feet high,� he recalls.
Gateway to Antarctica. Location: End of Drake Passage (Image courtesy Anup Misal)
Following two days of sailing, the ship finally reached Antarctica.
“It was -32 degrees Celsius outside and snowing. Despite how cold it got, people stood outside for a good 30 minutes just to capture a glimpse of the first iceberg.

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