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Antarctic Climate Epic Project Brief

On 13 February 2023, an Expedition team of 120 extraordinary, select, global citizens shall embark on a voyage to the Antarctic – the front line of climate change, the wild card of calamitous sea level rise. This is the Antarctic Climate Expedition (ACE). It will be a gathering of great minds with passion, resolve and commitment; united on a mission to find ways to change the current trajectory and avert catastrophic climate consequences to preserve a healthy, habitable planet for humanity. The objective of ACE is to leverage the majesty of what we have left in the Southern Ocean, Antarctic wildlife, underwater and above, and set the benchmark for what we preserve, lose or build for the next generations to come.

ACE is Noah’s Ark of the 21st Century where a microscopic representation of our megascopic world comes together out of love for the future of humankind – to strategize and take action on what they will do for their legacy, and their loved ones. The 110 ambassadors are highly diverse in age (12 – 88), globally represented in terms of cultures, nationalities, talents, expertise, experience, influence, and gender. They consist of artists, conservationists, global citizens, entrepreneurs, executives, ocean luminaries, renowned wildlife photographers, policymakers, scientists, storytellers, technopreneurs, writers, and more. All are rooted in the same passion, belief and deep expertise in Ocean related subjects, working together to conserve and preserve our natural commons.

ACE will take a strategic focus on the role of our ocean in climate actions, resolutions and strategies; with a mission to get to Net Zero by 2035.There is also an intention to spotlight the slow crippling of our ocean’s ability to contribute to fundamentally important services for life on Planet; yet our ocean remains such powerful and integral source in climate mitigation, food source and livelihood. This is designed to bring more understanding of climate impact beyond terrestrial sources of emissions and sinks, so that we are better equipped to confront the true intensity of the challenge we face globally.

The ambassadors aim to formulate 23 resolutions during the Expedition and these will be developed into strategies that will be effected through a top-down and bottom-up action plan, to be championed through their communities, corporates, organizations, and government capacities far beyond the Expedition to meet the mission goals and objective. Key outputs of ACE will also include a feature documentary, exhibitions in key cities, expedition reports, lectures, a photographic index, books, and education materials.

What makes ACE different from all the other Expeditions: 

  • Focus: The Antarctic Climate Epic (ACE) project is about developing 23 resolutions during the 2023 expedition to drive Global Net-Zero from an ocean perspective by 2035.
  • Team: The expedition is not the usual team of scientists and researchers. But comprise the everyday hero/leader in their professional spheres of influence making the narrative and action plans relatable and compelling. They are selected to represent a microscopic representation of a megascopic world, with diversity in cultures, gender, nationalities, ages (12 – 88 years), expertise, and talents.
  • People: Selected to represent a microscopic representation of a megascopic world, with diversity in cultures, ages (12 – 88 years), expertise, and talents, not just the typical average age of 50 with a lean towards specific cultures, genders, and nationalities.
  • Explorer Club Flag Expedition: The Explorer Club Flag 61 is awarded to Michael AW for ACE 2023. Carrying an Explorers Club Flag on an expedition is a symbol of courage and fidelity. For more than a century, members of the Explorer Club have traversed many different environments and domains, including the moon, on expeditions of exploration. Some big achievements in humanity’s history have been carried out by Explorer Flag members. First to the North Pole, first to the South Pole, first to the summit of Mount Everest, first to the deepest point in the ocean, first to the surface of the moon. To date, 850 explorers have carried the flag on over 1450 expeditions. These include flags carried by very famous people such as James Cameron, Roy Chapman Andrews, Bob Bartlett, Thor Heyerdahl, and Naomi Uemura, and miniature flags carried aboard Apollo 8 and Apollo 15 missions.

The Antarctic Climate Expedition (ACE) 2023 is organised by Ocean Geographic Society of OceanNEnvironment Ltd on board The Sylvia Earle, operated by Aurora Expedition, a carbon-neutral company based in Australia. The Sylvia Earle is named for Dr. Sylvia Earle, Founder of Mission Blue, Time Magazine’s first Hero of the Planet. Mission Blue serves as the principal partner to Ocean Geographic in ACE 2023.