Source · Select Committees · Environmental Audit Committee
Recommendation 9
9
Accepted in Part
Expand joint research efforts in polar science for informed Antarctic Treaty System decisions.
Recommendation
The UK’s expertise in polar science presents a valuable opportunity for strengthening international collaboration. We recommend expanding joint research efforts, particularly in areas such as marine conservation, land ecology, and ice sheet modelling. By contributing robust scientific data, the UK can play a pivotal role in shaping informed decisions on climate change and environmental protection within the Antarctic Treaty System. (Recommendation, Paragraph 73)
Government Response Summary
The government accepts the recommendation in part, citing current involvement in significant international science projects like Thwaites Glacier, BIOPOLE, and SWAIS2C collaborations. They state that any further expansion of these efforts will be contingent on future budget allocations.
Government Response
Accepted in Part
HM Government
Accepted in Part
The Government accepts this recommendation. 7. Science projects with a broad range of expertise and large-scale logistics are needed for a continent as large as Antarctica, and for the important role Antarctic science plays in our understanding of the whole Earth system. The UK is involved in several significant international science projects, such as: • The Thwaites Glacier International Collaboration with the USA, Germany, Sweden and Korea; • The BIOPOLE project on climate change impacts on marine ecosystems in the Polar Regions with partners in Germany, USA, Canada, Norway and Australia; and • SWAIS2C collaboration with New Zealand, USA, Italy, Japan, Korea, Spain, Netherlands, Germany, and Australia on ice sheet impacts. 8. All of these projects will involve using new data to improve models that forecast future conditions and inform policy decisions about adaptation. Any project expansion will depend on future budget allocations.