Antarctica is the coldest continent on Earth and the fifth-largest, about 40% bigger than Europe. It doesn’t belong to any one country; instead, nations cooperate to protect it. Antarctica has no permanent human population, making it one of the most untouched and beautiful places on the planet. But should tourism be allowed here? Let’s explore the pros and cons.
The Beauty of Antarctica
Antarctica is breathtaking. From icy mountains to majestic glaciers, it’s a sight like no other. Take Mount Erebus, the southernmost active volcano, standing at 3,792 meters and over 1.3 million years old. Its eruptions occur roughly every 1,000 years, with the last one in 2020.
Tourists can experience some of the most stunning sights in the world, making Antarctica an excellent destination for sightseeing and adventure.
Antarctica is the coldest continent on the planet.
It is the fifth largest continent being about 40 percent bigger than Europe. Antarctica does not belong to anyone, instead, several countries work together to protect it. It’s the only continent which has no permanent human habitation. Antarctica remains the most untouched continent on Earth and it is very beautiful but should tourism be allowed in this continent? Here is a list of arguments about this.
First of all, Antarctica is very beautiful but there are some downsides to this magnificent continent. Nowadays it’s very dangerous to travel to Antarctica because of global warming. The ice is melting rapidly and not only is this extremely dangerous for marine life and species in Antarctica, a lot of countries will be flooded! The more people that travel to Antarctica every year, the more chances there are of sea levels rising.
Antarctica is the only continent which is untouched.
Also, Antarctica is the only continent which is untouched. This continent is very beautiful with some of the most beautiful sights in the entire world! Take Mount Erebus for example, it is the most southernmost active volcano on planet Earth. With an astonishing height of 3,792m. This iconic mountain in Antarctica is 1.3 million years old, and it last erupted in 2020. Mount Erebus is known to erupt roughly every 1,000 years. All of this makes it an excellent place to visit for sightseeing.
Alternatively, the environment can be disrupted if more tourists visit every single year and this can scare animals and create invasive species. There are also way higher chances of pollution if more and more tourists come. Not many people know this but some tourists can go near animals like seals, for a photograph, but what they don’t know is how aggressive these animals can just be. You can be attacked by animals that feel scared or threatened, by mistake!
Although the animals may be dangerous they are very magnificent. Starting with the Macaroni penguin, the Macaroni penguin is an interesting species found in the Subantarctic. The Macaroni penguin is an interesting penguin which is closely related to the Emperor penguin with its yellow crest on their chest. The Macaroni penguin gets its name for the same reason. Another marine animal is the Blue whale which is a spectacular species. The largest blue whale ever recorded was 418,878 pounds! ( about the weight of 25 elephants) This amazing mammal’s heart weighs about 400 pounds and is 4 feet tall! We can learn more about these wonderful animals if we can go and see them.
Finding the Balance
Tourists should be allowed to go to Antarctica but it should be limited as too many boats or ships can disrupt marine life and the environment, leaving a high carbon footprint.
