Exploring Antarctica from all angles

Artists described feelings of both exhilaration and frustration during their time in Antarctica to the audience gathered for the first of three panel discussions organised by the University for the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra's Antarctica Festival last

Artists described feelings of both exhilaration and frustration during their time in Antarctica to the audience gathered for the first of three panel discussions organised by the University for the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra's Antarctica Festival last week.

Cath Wallace, a senior lecturer in the School of Government and one of the organisers of the discussions, says the "Fantastic Antarctica" evening – facilitated by broadcaster Kim Hill and featuring Professor Bill Manhire and painter Dick Frizzell among others – was a particularly dynamic event.

“The wonderful footage of the fantastic sea creatures in resplendent colour right under the ice shelf, shown by marine ecologist Vonda Cummings of the National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research in a video clip was a highlight that complemented Otago scientist Lloyd Spencer Davies’ delightful look at Antarctica through the eyes of a penguin and the on-the-ice observations of the artists.”

Ms Wallace and co-organiser Joanna Mossop, (Victoria University marine and Antarctic law expert) featured on the "Protecting Antarctica" panel that focused on threats posed to Antarctica’s relatively pristine and isolated environment. Facilitated by David McDowell, former New Zealand ambassador to the United Nations, the panel also featured Neil Gilbert (Environmental Manager, Antarctica NZ and chair of the Antarctic Treaty’s Committee on Environmental Protection), Michael Donoghue (Department of Conservation) and Peter Cozens (Director of the Centre for Strategic Studies, Victoria University).

 Ms Wallace says her discussion with the panel was essentially a critique of the environmental performance of the Antarctic Treaty. She says that the slowness of the Treaty at protecting the marine environment is being noticed internationally, and although there are international calls for a large marine protected area in the Ross Sea little has been done to progress this.

"The audience was a mix of legal, conservation and policy officials, Antarctic scientists and other Antarctic specialists, the public, and students so when the panel took a question that we didn’t feel we could tackle, we could turn it to someone in the audience."

The third and final panel discussion took as its focus climate change and Antarctica as the driver of global oceans and atmospheric systems. Facilitated by Judy Lawrence, Director Policy and Strategy Consulting Ltd,, the panel featured a comprehensive cross-section of climate change expertise at Victoria: Professor Martin Manning (Director of the New Zealand Climate Change Research Institute), Nancy Bertler (Antarctic Research Centre and GNS marine ecologist), Professor Jonathon Boston (Director of the Institute of Policy Studies in the School of Government), Professor Peter Barrett (Antarctic Research Centre), and Associate Professor Ralph Chapman (Director, School of Geography, Environment and Earth Sciences).

Professor Peter Barrett says the goal of the panel was to acknowledge the science underway in Antarctica, and to use it as a platform for explaining the changes in climate in the region.

"Antarctica has been extremely helpful to climate science, for the climate record laid down in its ice-cores, and for the sensitivity to climate change that is characteristic of the poles," Professor Barrett says.

Professor of Climate Change and Director of the University's New Zealand Climate Change Research Institute Martin Manning began the discussions with an insightful summary of the key findings of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, followed by Dr Nancy Bertler's talk about the way Antarctica is responding to global warming.

Professor Barrett gave a geological overview of prehistoric Antarctica when it was a land of rivers and dinosaurs, looked at the fluctuations of the ice sheets and explained future projections. Professor Jonathan Boston talked about international action on climate, and the responsibility of rich countries - including New Zealand - to reduce emissions substantially within and beyond the next ten years.

Associate Professor Ralph Chapman concluded the discussions with a call to action, emphasising that daily, individual actions really do make a difference. He gave the audience a number of tips as to how they can reduce their carbon footprints and urged them to learn about wider issues.

Professor Barrett says there was vigorous discussion between the panel and audience, including the oft-thought but seldom-asked question "why should I give up my lifestyle if I'm not going to benefit?"

The panel discussions were open to the public and free to attend. Victoria University, The Royal Society of New Zealand co-sponsored the artists' panel discussion, and the School of Government, Antarctica New Zealand and the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra supported all three evenings.

A panel discussion between Cath Wallace, Joanna Mossop and Neil Gilbert was broadcast on Radio New Zealand and can be heard at: http://www.radionz.co.nz/nr/programmes/ourchangingworld