In this episode of Protect The World, I speak with Claire Christian – Executive Director of the Antarctic and Southern Ocean Coalition (ASOC).
ASOC is a not-for-profit organisation that has been advocating for the protection of the Antarctic continent and its surrounding ocean for more than four decades. They're the only environmental NGO permitted to observe meetings of the Antarctic Treaty, where decisions about the future of Antarctica are made, and they work on behalf of the Antarctic conservation community, striving to enact positive change from within.
In this episode, Claire and I discuss the myriad threats facing Antarctica and the Southern Ocean, the strengths and weaknesses of current methods of Antarctic governance, as well as the incredible, underappreciated creatures that inhabit the ocean floor at the bottom of the world.
Claire is highly knowledgeable in both science and ecology, as well as global politics and international affairs and I thoroughly enjoyed picking her brains on both sides of the equation.
As always, half the money that came into the Patreon this month was donated directly to the Antarctic and Southern Ocean Coalition. This money will be directed towards ASOC's campaigns for the establishment of Marine Protected Areas, improved tourism and fishing regulations, and responding to the impacts of climate change.
You can donate directly to ASOC by visiting asoc.org, and if you'd like to help me give more money to more amazing NGOs in future, please consider signing up to the Patreon for as little as $5 a month via the following link: patreon.com/brodiehopkinsmedia
You can follow ASOC on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter, and you can also follow the rest of my own work on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.
A huge thank you to everyone who supports this podcast, and to Claire Christian for joining me on this episode. If you enjoyed it, please be sure to leave a review and share it with your friends and family. Thanks for listening!
–
Additional links:
Antarctic and Southern Ocean Coalition (ASOC)
Convention on the Regulation of Antarctic Mineral Resource Activities (CRAMRA)
Convention for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR)
Protocol on Environmental Protection to the Antarctic Treaty