Two months ago, I had the privilege of being part of an extraordinary expedition: three weeks in Antarctica with 124 women scientists from 22 countries, leaders, committed individuals, and activists from around the world, within the Homeward Bound program.
Homeward Bound is a global initiative aimed at empowering female leadership in science, technology, engineering, mathematics, and medicine (STEMM) to tackle the climate and environmental crisis. This expedition was not just a journey; it was an intensive training program to learn sustainable leadership strategies, build networks, and gain a deeper understanding of our planet’s challenges from one of its most vulnerable ecosystems.
One thing that particularly surprised me was the weather. During our expedition, we experienced several days of rain instead of snow. Although it was the austral summer, temperatures were higher than usual, and some days, they didn’t even drop below 0°C.
Since 1950, the Antarctic Peninsula has warmed by nearly 3°C, more than any other place in the Southern Hemisphere. This temperature rise accelerates ice melt and has led to the collapse of several ice sheets. Antarctica holds about 27 million km³ of ice, and if it were to melt completely, sea levels would rise by 58 meters. Ice is disappearing faster than ever in recent years.
Learning, Debating, and Transforming
Throughout the journey, we combined land expeditions with training sessions, leadership workshops, and discussion spaces on science, sustainability, and climate justice. We shared knowledge on topics ranging from marine biology to renewable energy, from public policy to environmental education.
The most powerful aspect was not just the scientific knowledge shared, but the strength of doing it collectively. In this extreme environment, we spoke openly about the responsibility of institutions, governments, and businesses, but also about our own responsibility as a society.
“When we all share the same purpose, synergies emerge, and projects take shape that can be part of the change. We were many women with different experiences, and that made collaborations even stronger.”
Returning from Antarctica felt like coming back from another world. But the most eye-opening realization was understanding that this “other world” is, in fact, the same world we depend on. We often forget about it because it feels far away, but without polar ice caps and glaciers, without healthy oceans, without biodiversity, there is no viable future.
The silence and isolation of Antarctica connect you with yourself, but also with everything around you. It invites you to pause, observe, breathe, to truly be present. I learned to immerse myself in the landscape, to listen, to understand the rhythms of an environment that seems motionless but changes every second.
But what does it mean to be present in Antarctica? For me, it meant reconnecting with nature and with our planet, realizing that we are part of it, that our choices have consequences, and that, even though we often forget, we rely on it for our survival.
