There’s an irony in the naming of my Antarctic voyage, dubbed Loss by the Antarctic Division Database:
Season/Voyage: 001/02 Voyage V7
Cruise Name : LOSS – named after losing a CTD off the Amery
A CTD is an instrument used for gathering certain climate change data in Antarctic waters, data relating to its Current, Temperature and Depth.
Somewhere along the Amery Ice Shelf, a CTD tore from its cable and dropped down into the sea. Although a great financial loss, and logistical inconvenience, a backup was soon in place. The vital measuring work could continue.
A greater loss at that moment was the TIME WASTED by politicians ignoring the fact of climate change.
The day we had arrived at the Amery Ice Shelf, to continue the data collecting, Bush and Howard announced their stand: refusing to limit fossil fuel burning; not signing the Kyoto Protocol.