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Video Editor: Rahul Sanpui
An ecologist, an astronomer and a practicing medicinal doctor – meet the Indian-origin women who undertook a week-long voyage to Antarctica in December 2019, to understand and influence the decisions that shape the future of our plant.
With 100 other women of the STEMM collective from across the world, the three women undertook the trip aimed to empower and motivate women to ‘take their place’ in the main narrative on sustainability and climate crisis.
For ecologist and a public health researcher Aparna Lal, taking part in the voyage was important because she believed that there was need for “greater diversity and inclusion of voices”.
A resident of Canberra, Lal is a senior lecturer in Australian National University.
The urge to make a change, closer to home, brought Kerala-born astronomer Mita Brier to join the voyage. A resident of New Zealand now, Brier had to manage a full-time job, her two young boys, all while trying to raise money to be a part of the voyage.
The voyage to Antarctica was important, the astronomer says, because the impact of melting ice in that region will be felt across the world.
“The global ocean currents in Antarctica drive how those across the world work. The impact of melting and warming here and the effects will be felt all around the world,” she says.
Dr Pallavi Prathivadi was born in Bengaluru and grew up in Melbourne. A citizen of both India and Australia, for Prathivadi, the voyage was all about the STEMM women taking their “rightful place” in shaping the climate crisis decisions.
And, who better than women to influence decisions that impact women.
“Women in poverty are disproportionately affected by issued of climate crisis – especially those concerning food scarcity,” adds Brier.
Prathivadi warns that the biggest threat of climate crisis is its impact on health.
For ecologist Lal, the voyage taught her that being vulnerable is a part of being a strong woman, a takeaway that would help her with the larger picture of taking decisions.
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