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Panelist PhD Candidate Yousra Makanse at the Polar Symposium: 'The Cold is Getting Hot: From Arctic to Antarctic'
Yousra Makanse, Ph.D. candidate at the GEO chair group, was invited to participate in the panel 'Effects of Polar Changes upon Global Human Societies & Economies' at the Polar Symposium. The event took place from 24-25 February 2022 at the Oceanographic Museum in Monaco.
The Symposium convened leading scientists, experts, and early career researchers to discuss how, how fast, and in what ways changes in our planet's polar regions affect Earth's climate, living and social systems, and how this concerns us all. Environmental changes in the Arctic and the Antarctic are rapidly accelerating and affecting directly and indirectly ecosystems and communities far beyond the polar regions. We need to remember: what happens in the Poles, don't stay in the Poles. It affects all of us.
Yousra spoke about the tourism industry in the Antarctic and the increasing diversification of tourism-related activities, including scuba diving, luxury camps, marathons, cross country skiing, and more. With a 30% recent increase in visitors leading to a total annual number of 73,000 tourists in the 2019/2020 season, she discussed the impacts of tourism and the need for a concrete framework to regulate tourism in Antarctica.
The Symposium was organized by the Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation with the Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research (SCAR) and the International Arctic Science Committee (IASC) as co-conveners, in collaboration with the Oceanographic Institute, Prince Albert I of Monaco Foundation, the International Cryosphere Climate Initiative (ICCI), and the UN Decade for Ocean Science for Sustainable development.
For more information about the Polar Symposium: https://www.thepolarinitiative.org/en/index