(Antarctica Blog Series Part 3) We’ve reached our final post in this series on the links between Antarctica and our global future. I closed our far-ranging conversation by asking polar oceanographer Dr. Mark Brandon about his vision for the future. Spoiler alert: despite everything we’d talked about, he has hope. Read on to find out why!

(Antarctica Blog Series Part 2) | After hearing polar oceanographer Dr. Mark Brandon’s key insight for policymakers—that Antarctica is coming home to us through rising sea levels, weather changes, and more—I asked him the trillion-dollar question for futureproofing: How would he uncover human impacts in the far South, and extract better insights into how changes in the polar regions are likely to affect us back home?

(Antarctica Blog Series Part 1) | In my previous post in this series, I pointed to Kim Stanley Robinson’s claim that “First you fall in love with Antarctica, and then it breaks your heart.” Here, I ask polar oceanographer Dr. Mark Brandon about the most important thing for policymakers to know about how Antarctica affects the rest of the world.

“First you fall in love with Antarctica, and then it breaks your heart.” That’s what renowned science-fiction writer Kim Stanley Robinson wrote about the White Continent.

I discovered the truth of that quote firsthand when I journeyed to Antarctica in late 2023. There’s no other way to put it: Antarctica is astonishing. It is home to stunning glaciers, a dramatic coastline, and diverse wildlife. But while this remote continent may seem far removed from daily life, what happens there impacts us all.

Following my immersive leadership expedition in Antarctica with Homeward Bound, I was inspired to bring together snapshots of the remarkable animal characters I encountered during my journey.

How is your organization actively preparing for climate change? This year has brought the challenge of El Niño, among other extreme weather challenges. Find out in this article how you can build for resilience in the face of adversity and find opportunities in a changing climate landscape.

To meet the challenges of tomorrow, we need to recognize that learning does not just happen in a room or on a screen. True education happens all day, every day, whenever we follow our imaginations to a solution.