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- More than 180 women, including two South Africans, are embarking on a voyage to Antarctica in November to promote sustainability and study its ecosystem.
- They will spend 19 days in Antarctica, participating in educational activities and aiming to enhance their leadership skills.
- The expedition aims to highlight climate change, break gender barriers, and inspire global change and sustainability efforts.
- For more stories, visit the Tech and Trends homepage.
Two South Africans are among 188 women from across the globe who are preparing to sail to Antarctica in November to promote the earth's sustainability.
The selected cohort, who have backgrounds in science, technology, engineering, mathematics, and medicine (STEMM), will spend 19 days in the ice-covered landmass, getting a first-hand experience of one of the earth's most precious ecosystems, leveraging their expertise to improve research and legislation.
Among the 188 women from 25 countries are four African experts, representing South Africa, Zimbabwe, and Kenya.
The two South Africans are Gina Ziervogel, who is the director of the African Climate and Development Initiative (ACDI) and an associate professor in the University of Cape Town's Department of Environmental and Geographical Science, and Nirvani Dhevcharran, the chief technology officer at The Foschini Group, and a board member of the Oprah Winfrey Academy for Girls.
"The adventure these women are about to embark on will give them an unparalleled view of one of the most remote locations on the planet. Antarctica not only provides early warnings of climate change, it also represents the fragility of our natural world, and why we need to protect it. We are excited to see how each person takes on this life-changing journey, and translates their learnings into actions," said Pamela Sutton-Legaud, the CEO of Homeward Bound, the global leadership initiative leading the voyage.
During the voyage, the women will participate in various educational activities, including lectures, workshops, and networking sessions, to enhance their leadership skills in the fight for global change and sustainability.
South African voyagers
Ziervogel said it was important for her to be a part of the voyage to collaborate with other women who are grappling with the same scientific challenges that are both local and global.
According to Ziervogel, her research focuses on climate change and adapting to the impacts of climate change.
In the last 15 years, her research has looked at how people in cities are adapting to climate change - both at a neighbourhood and broader community level, with a specific focus on flooding and droughts.
While she's excited about collaborating with other women on the voyage, she is also concerned about the rate at which climate change is occurring.
"As someone who works in the climate change field, I'm concerned about what is happening both in the Arctic and Antarctic, where the impacts of climate change are being seen. There is a lot less sea ice this year than we normally see, which is really concerning, and there have been a number of articles referring to penguin chicks that have died.
"I'm concerned to see this and experience what climate change looks like in Antarctica, and equally excited to have the opportunity to be in the wide-open spaces; to be in a wilderness that is different to the ones I've been before," Ziervogel told News24.
Dhevcharran said she was looking forward to gaining access to a global network of women who are there to support one another.
"Antarctica is symbolic in that women were not allowed to work there until 1969 although male scientists have been working there already for many years, so this programme is about breaking those glass ceilings and barriers.
"It is also important to see what they see, what the human impact has been in the most pristine part of the world and, more importantly, what we can do to protect it and how to influence behaviour change when we are back home," she told News24.
Sutton-Legaud said they are hoping to heighten the visibility of women in STEMM.
"In places like South Africa, this is important because it provides young girls with role models - people that they can look up to, who look like them and sound like them.
"This is the foundation for building future generations of women scientists, engineers, and doctors," she said.
Two voyages, The Ushuaia and The Island Sky, are scheduled to depart from Argentina on 3 and 12 November, respectively.
