United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and Chilean President Gabriel Boric embarked on a visit to Chilean Antarctic territory on Thursday, aiming to emphasize the significance of the white continent in the fight against climate change.
Guterres and Boric arrived Thursday morning at the President Frei Antarctic Airbase. Their itinerary included visits to the Collins Glacier, Kopaitic Island, and Rada Covadonga, as well as three of the ten Chilean bases in Antarctica.
The visit comes on the eve of COP28, the most crucial climate change meeting, scheduled from November 30 to December 12 in Dubai. The year 2023 is on track to become the hottest on record.
President Boric stated on X (formerly Twitter), “Today we will visit different areas of Chilean Antarctic territory with the government team and the Secretary-General of the United Nations, @AntonioGuterres, to highlight the importance of the white continent in the fight against climate change.”
Boric emphasized that Antarctica is not only home to 90% of the planet’s ice and 77% of available freshwater, but its seas also play a crucial role in global climate regulation.
Guterres underscored the close cooperation between Chile and the UN, stating that it helps strengthen key areas of their work, including climate change, sustainable development, peace, and security.
Before heading to Antarctica, the UN Secretary-General warned that developed countries are “facing a perfect storm, with growing inequalities, climate chaos, conflicts, and hunger.” He also advocated for achieving an “ambitious, credible, and fair” outcome at COP28 to maintain the temperature increase limit at 1.5 degrees and protect the most affected.