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Australia is planning to build the largest infrastructure project in Antarctica – a new airport and runway that would increase the human footprint in the world’s largest wilderness areas by an estimated 40%.
The mega-scheme is likely to involve blowing up petrel colonies, disturbing penguin colonies, and encasing a stretch of wilderness in more than 115,000 tons of concrete.
The Canberra government says the Princess Elizabeth Land project in Vestfold Hills is necessary to provide year-round access for scientists and emergency crews to Davis Research Station, the southernmost base in Antarctica. Strategic concerns are also a consideration; Australia wants to counter China’s growing presence on the frozen southern continent.
Environmental scientists say the multi-billion dollar plan is a waste of money and could lead to a destructive construction race between territorial rivals.
“It is unprecedented in Antarctica in terms of the scale of investment and the impact on the environment. Although it is done in the name of science, very few scientists are enthusiastic. It’s more about waving flags. It’s about reaffirming Australia’s presence and our claim, ”said Shaun Brooks, an environmental scientist at the Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies at the University of Tasmania.
He estimates that the project would add 40% to the existing infrastructure on the continent, which would be harmful and unnecessary.
“I can’t help but think that this will turn into a white elephant. How can a multi-million dollar airstrip be justified for a base with only 19 people during the winter and that has been running smoothly since 1957? Brooks said.
The new runway proposed by Australia would be 2.7 km long and 40 meters wide and, unlike the existing ice and gravel runways in Antarctica, it would be a permanent structure built on the landscape with cement and 11,500 blocks of concrete, each weighing more than 10 tons. .
Pollution, dust, noise and carbon emissions are other problems. Shipment of materials from Hobart is expected to take more than a decade and about 100 trips to break the ice. The government says the land will be flattened by blasting, crushing and backfilling with a total of 3 million cubic meters of earthworks. The project will require the construction of an explosives storage area, reclamation of land from the sea for a new pier, new tanks for aviation fuel and a 4km access road.
In addition to the destruction of wildlife habitat during construction, the operation of the completed airport would cause regular disruptions to the breeding colonies of southern giant petrels, seals and Adélie penguins.
Multiple studies and case histories have shown the negative impact of airplanes on Antarctic wildlife. In the 1980s, a single mail delivery from a low-flying plane caused a stampede on a king penguin colony that caused 7,000 deaths. The Vestfold Hills are home to nesting colonies of Adelie penguins, which must remain immobile on their eggs for long periods for the chicks to hatch successfully. If mothers are terrified of airplanes, the eggs can be exposed to freezing winds and predators.
Among those who have spoken out against the project is Geoff Dimmock, a retired logistics manager. As a former organizer of mailings and supply missions in the region, he said there was no way the project would avoid disrupting noise and pollution. “I don’t want the hills to flatten out,” he said. “From an environmental point of view, I think this is a bad precedent to set. And it’s poor value for money. “
Politicians have asked whether the government will break its own guidelines, which say that planes must not fly within 2.1 km of a penguin colony and that no runway should be within 500 meters of breeding seals.
Tasmanian Green Party Senator Peter Whish-Wilson went further during a parliamentary session in October. How, he asked, could a project with the largest human footprint in Antarctica’s history align with Australia’s stated goal of promoting “environmental stewardship and leadership” in the region?
The Australian Antarctic Division said the environmental assessment would be reviewed at the national level, sent to other Antarctic Treaty nations and published for public consultation in Australia and internationally.
“The construction of the airfield will have some unavoidable impacts and we are committed to understanding the environmental impacts and implementing mitigation measures to the highest possible standards and in line with legislated requirements,” wrote a representative in an emailed statement to The Guardian.
Plans for a permanent airport in Davis were first raised decades ago, but previous governments have balked at the cost. In recent years, the idea has been revived and is now being pushed by the head of the Australian Antarctic Division, Kim Ellis, who is a former military officer and CEO of Sydney Airport.
The Australian Antarctic Division says a major update is due. Flights to Antarctica currently land on a blue ice runway at Wilkins Airfield during the southern summer from October to March. This is increasingly inoperable due to global warming. High temperatures destabilize the track surface. Closures for this reason used to last six weeks. Last summer, this increased to 10 weeks.
Plans for a paved runway are in the environmental assessment phase. Budget discussions are expected in 2022. If approvals are granted, construction would begin in 2023 and run through 2040 at the earliest.
Conservationists say the assessment process is flawed because it will be approved by Environment Minister Sussan Ley, who is a strong advocate for the planned track. She has described it as part of “a new era of the Australian Antarctic effort”. The government is also aware that China and Russia are improving their bases in the region.
Activists say there are viable alternatives, such as planes that use skis instead of wheels to take off and land. The US military proved that it was possible even in the dark depths of winter by flying to one of its bases with night vision to evacuate a wounded scout in 2008.
Brooks said Australia’s airport plan would set the wrong precedent.
“The scale of this is so out of step with our requirements. I think that putting up this big flag will encourage others to do something similar, ”he said. “It does not align with Australia’s claim to be an environmental leader. Antarctica is special. Everywhere else in the world, nature is measured by what is left. In Antarctica, it’s still the other way around. “
