When I worked in NZ, I covered the Antarctica portfolio. Mostly benign, with lots of cocktail parties in Christchurch, the jumping-off point for U.S. flights to McMurdo Base. Sometimes there were issues with Americans and visas, or unexpected injuries/deaths, and more frequently questions about the environmental impact of U.S. activities, such as the "ice road." We're planning on building a means to get equipment from McMurdo to our South Pole base, on a somewhat more permanent road - currently ice crevices and lack of markers make the trip quite difficult, and we tend to fly. Environmentalists are up in arms about our plans. But, seriously, it's not a real road - it's packed ice! I support not drilling in ANWAR and all that, but the U.S. is nothing if not anal about protecting Antarctica. I should know. But there is concern that it will "bring tourists" and there will be issues of "oil spills" and "air quality." That's why there's a Consultative Commission - that's why we now carry out our crap, literally. And the number of tourists is capped and closely monitored. The quote that really go me though, was this one:
"Sir Edmund Hillary, who drove 2000 kilometres from Scott Base to the South Pole on a tractor in 1957, has expressed distaste for the road. He would not comment this week, but on an Antarctic visit in 2004 said that the road was "terrible". "
Hmmm..... drove a tractor, eh? How did he refuel? Change his oil? I love Sir Ed, but let's see the plans before we express distaste, shall we?
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