Antarctica: Legitimacy of Science in Climate Decision-Making

Polar regions are among the fastest-warming areas on our planet. The Antarctic Treaty stands as one of the world's most successful international legal frameworks, dedicating the continent to peace, science, and environmental protection. Since 1995, SCAR (Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research) has served as a primary advisory body on climate impact discussions regarding the Antarctic environment. Yet multilateral negotiations in Antarctica and beyond are increasingly complicated by the erosion of trust in science, deliberate mobilisation of alternative science, non-consensual scientific evidence and calls for more science. In this fireplace chat, the moderator invites the President of SCAR, Gary Wilson, to discuss the current state of climate change and governance in Antarctica, the possibilities of the scientific community and non-governmental institutions to bring about change in climate diplomacy, the importance of stable science funding, as well as the opportunities presented by the next International Polar Year.