However, strong international cooperation and a legacy of effective multilateralism can be found in the example of the Antarctic Treaty System.17 Here, small and large nations alike have contributed to a broader understanding of the science of climate change, with significant collaboration between countries in South America and the rest of the world. [...] THE WHITE CONTINENT AND SOUTH AMERICA | 7 Beyond the practical example that this region of the world can represent for humanity’s efforts to rein in unfettered growth and development, the Antarctic also represents the intrinsic value of unspoiled wilderness, a place for biodiversity to flourish, and one part of our globe that can heal the externalities of current and past industrialization. [...] Changes in the size and seasonal timing of the extent of Antarctic and Arctic sea-ice, as well as the resulting changes in the degree of open ocean, greatly influence the distribution of heat across the Earth. [...] It is as fast and as much as the transition from the vestiges of the last ice age to the onset of modern climate about 11,500 years ago, making it the first onset of “abrupt climate change” in the modern era.7 Recognizing the potential for abrupt change in future climate predictions is essential if we are to develop plausible scenarios for the future climate. [...] In addition, as the westerlies intensify and are forced through the Drake Passage, cold Southern Ocean surface currents are forced farther north on both 20 | THE WHITE CONTINENT AND SOUTH AMERICA the west and east sides of southern South America.11 As greenhouse gas warming continues and healing of the Antarctic ozone hole contin- ues, the shape and intensity of the Southern Hemisphere westerlies.
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- 156
- Published in
- Canada
