The story begins with the author travelling to Antarctica on a Russian research ship. We learn that the author has travelled about 100 hours in a car, aeroplane as well as the ship. The main objective of this trip is to learn everything in detail about Antarctica. Further, we learn about her two-week stay there and what all is present there. The place stores 90% of the earth‘s total ice volumes. There are no trees, buildings, or human settlements. During the austral summer, the sun shines for 24 hours. Moreover, it is covered in silence.
This makes the author wonder about the time when India and Antarctica were the same landmass‘s part. We learn about the existence of a southern supercontinent, Gondwana. It existed for six hundred and fifty million years ago. We learn that the climate back then was much warmer and also sustained a huge variety of flora and fauna.
All this was before the arrival of human beings. Moreover, for 500 million years, Gondwana flourished. Thus, after the extinction of dinosaurs, the landmass separated into countries, as we know today. Moreover, we also learn about the reality of climate change. Similarly, the author believes that to study the impact closely, one must make a visit to Antarctica.
The author then connects this history to the present problem of climate change. She believes that Antarctica is the best place to study climate change closely because even small changes here can have serious effects. Antarctica has a very fragile ecosystem and very little biodiversity. If the ozone layer continues to deplete, it will badly affect sea animals and birds living there. It will also disturb the global carbon cycle.
We learn about the contributors to climate change, like the burning of fossil fuels and more human activities. All this is damaging the quality of Antarctica and this may cause immense danger to human life. Moreover, we also learn about it through examples of phytoplankton. Finally, the story ends with the author watching seals resting peacefully on the ice. This beautiful scene makes her wonder whether this natural beauty will survive in the future or whether the world is moving towards a disastrous end.
Intro of “Journey to End of the Earth”
Important Points to Remember
The story begins with the author travelling to Antarctica on a Russian research ship.
We learn that the author has travelled about 100 hours in a car, aeroplane as well as the ship.
The main objective of this trip is to learn everything in detail about Antarctica.
The place stores 90% of the earth‘s total ice volumes.
There are no trees, buildings, or human settlements.
During the austral summer, the sun shines for 24 hours.
We learn about the existence of a southern supercontinent, Gondwana.
The author then connects this history to the present problem of climate change.
Antarctica has a very fragile ecosystem and very little biodiversity.
Finally, the story ends with the author watching seals resting peacefully on the ice.
