Why this matters now
Read about why Antarctica needs our attention now and how we can respond to keep it SAEF.
Reasons to care
Antarctica is a pristine and stunning wilderness so remote and hostile that most of us will never lay eyes on it. But out of sight, cannot mean out of mind for this region. It has a profound effect on our everyday lives, and our future depends on it.
We’ve put together this handy guide to turn everything you think you know about this vast ‘white desert’ on its head, and give you reasons why you should care for this land down, down under.
If we lose Antarctica
Antarctica has always been our quiet, distant neighbour. But the scientific evidence is clear, it’s coming to the shores of a neighbourhood near you. Due to the current trajectory of human-induced climate change, Antarctica’s ice sheets are melting, it’s climate is changing and the Southern Ocean is warming, becoming more acidic and losing oxygen.
These changes are causing far-reaching global consequences – that will reach you and your home. Global sea levels are rising, heatwaves, droughts, and floods are becoming more frequent and extreme, and ecosystems are collapsing. Scientists are documenting these changes, but their magnitude is still uncertain and must be understood. Our research seeks to address this, so that we can protect Antarctica, and our planet.
The fate of this continent is very much in our hands, and action is now more urgent than ever.
Get involved
Sign-up for our newsletter or follow us on social media so that we can keep you informed about how you can get involved.
Credit: Emiliano Cimoli
The opportunity
Is there something we can do? Of course there is. We must follow the message a chorus of scientists, activists, students and community members have been singing – meet the emissions reduction targets of the Paris Climate Agreement, and do so with urgency. Then exceed them, and continue to do so.
According to the science, the best outcome will be net zero by 2040. Second-best, by 2050. This is the only ambition that provides us with a future that resembles the past we’ve been so privileged to have been part of. Ensuring Antarctica and its surrounding Southern Ocean remain quiet, distant neighbours is essential. This will help secure a bright future for our planet and our community. We can visit our neighbour periodically and immerse ourselves in its beauty, content in the knowledge that it will not announce itself in unruly ways, disrupting our lives. It’s up to us. Our future depends on it.
Support us
Antarctica is the heartbeat of the Earth’s climate system, and its future is essential to our own. Changes here have global consequences—rising sea levels, shifting weather patterns, and threats to biodiversity.
SAEF is already delivering significant research and developing next generation approaches to accelerate solutions. To have our best chance of mitigating and adapting to the environmental challenges ahead, it is critical that we bring future solutions to today.
With the expertise, partnerships, and drive to succeed, SAEF is uniquely positioned to lead, coordinate, and deliver impactful outcomes. With your support we can continue to undertake urgent research that leads to real, evidence-based actions, offering the greatest opportunity to change the course of the future.
To start a conversation about how you can engage with us, get in touch with SAEF Partnerships Manager Angela Firth via angela.firth@monash.edu.
For financial contributions that would directly support research, community outreach and /or logistics support, please visit the Monash Donations page and complete the form.
