Monaco, a major player in the preservation of the polar regions
Prince Albert II spoke about the environmental issues encountered by the Arctic and Antarctic poles during a symposium on 24 and 25 February. At the same time, the Oceanographic Institute, the Prince Albert II Foundation and the Monaco Scientific Center summarized the Principality’s actions during a press conference.
The Arctic and the Antarctic, preserved from our pollution? Quite the contrary. Despite their geographical distance, the two poles are more than ever affected by human activity and its consequences. This is why Prince Albert II brought together experts and scientists for a symposium, the day after the publication of the book At the heart of the polar worldsof which the Sovereign Prince rightly wrote the preface.
Many scientists gathered in Monaco
For Robert Calcagno, author of the book and Director General of the Oceanographic Institute, climate threats to the poles ” are the same as those weighing on the Earth and the oceans. Plastic pollution can be found even deep in Antarctica! Heavy fuel oil is often found from ships sailing off the poles [fuel qui sera interdit dès 2024 dans les zones polaires, mesure soutenue par la Fondation Prince Albert II] and greenhouse gas pollution. Overfishing and overexploitation have also increased in recent years. »
And if the threats are similar to those on the rest of the globe, the consequences on the poles are much stronger: “ The temperature is rising twice as fast in the Arctic as in the rest of the worldexplains Robert Calagno. We even had a record of +38°C in Siberia last year. »
Once this observation has been made, how to act concretely? The symposium The cold sets in brought together many participants in the Principality at the end of February. A symposium reserved for scientists, which did not bring together any political figure, with the exception of the Sovereign Prince, and which revolved around four themes: the study of polar changes, the contributions of these polar changes to climate change overall, the impact of this climate change on the societies and economies of the two poles and the measures that can be implemented internationally.
Among the major highlights of the event, the signing, from the first day, of the framework partnership agreement of thePolar Initiative by research partners. A program established until 2025, based on the strengthening of scientific knowledge and capacities, but also on awareness-raising and conservation actions in the polar regions.
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Prince Albert II, “Bipolar Prince”
If we know the powerful commitment of the Sovereign Prince to the environment and its preservation, the Principality’s interest in the North and South Poles is not new.
” The Principality of Monaco has been interested in the poles and polar regions for more than 150 years, says Robert Calcagno. At that time, Prince Albert I purchased his first scientific exploration vessel. At the very end of the 19th century, he led four explorations in the Svalbard archipelago. (…) I won’t forget Captain Cousteau either: 50 years ago, the Calypso set off from the foot of the Oceanographic Museum to explore Antarctica, the start of a commitment to protect Antarctica. »
” Prince Albert II’s career was marked by two trips, adds Olivier Wenden, Vice-President of the Prince Albert II Foundation. The first at the North Pole, in Spitsbergen in 2005, a hundred years after his great-grandfather, where he observed the melting of the ice and the loss of biodiversity. The second expedition, in 2009, was to the South Pole. Prince Albert II is therefore the only Head of State still in office to have visited both poles, to date. He calls himself, willingly, the bipolar Prince. »
The aim of the Sovereign Prince, who rewarded this symposium, was therefore to bring together fundamental, economic and human sciences around the two polar regions. ” We will not be able to stop climate change in these regions, but we must already think about the urgent mitigation measures to be taken into consideration. concludes Olivier Wenden.
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To the rescue of the penguins!
Another strong illustration of the Principality’s commitment to the polar regions: research. Since 2010, the Scientific Center of Monaco (CSM) has been carrying out sustained work in these areas.
Céline Le Bohec is a research fellow at the CSM. With her teams, she studies the populations of seabirds, particularly penguins. The goal: to assess the adaptation capacities of these animals in the face of climate change and to provide useful tools for preserving polar ecosystems and biodiversity.
By monitoring populations of king, Adélie and emperor penguins, the CSM was able to become aware of the impact of climate change in the polar regions.
” King penguins are very, very sensitive to the warming of their ecosystem, comments Celine Le Bohec. An increase of only 0.3°C surface temperature where penguins forage in winter lead to a 10% decrease in adult survival. Around 70% of the world’s king penguin population could disappear if no action is taken to stem global warming immediately and drastically. Other work has been carried out, such as the study of the effectiveness of the Marine Protected Areas in place.
So many measures which testify to the Principality’s commitment to the poles, a commitment which will be consolidated by the next symposia which will be organized in the coming years.