Team Zayed heads to Antarctica

ABU DHABI, 5th February, 2018 (WAM) -- The Environment Agency - Abu Dhabi, EAD, has announced that on 23rd February three of its staff will fly to Ushaia, Argentina, on the island of Tierra del Fuego, at the southern tip of South America, to board a ship, the Ocean Endeavour, en route to Antarctica. They will be taking part in the ClimateForce International Antarctic Expedition 2018. The team, aptly named Team Zayed, to mark The Year of Zayed, will join teams from over 20 countries for two weeks to learn about climate change and witness first-hand the impact of global warming on the continent. They will also take part in the Leadership on the Edge Programme, run by British polar explorer Sir Robert Swan, who was the first person to walk to both the North Pole and the South Pole. Team Zayed will include Mariam Al Qassimi, a communications specialist who also coordinates the Jane Goodall Roots & Shoots programme in the UAE, Rashed Al Zaabi, a Mammologist whose work includes responding to wildlife emergencies, inspecting zoos and monitoring and assessing mammals in the wild and Winston Cowie, EAD’s marine policy manager who has authored books, produced documentaries and who most recently represented the UAE at the World Cup Rugby Qualifiers in Malaysia. The team will be embarking on a very physically demanding voyage, which will see them endure freezing temperatures and crossing the Drake Passage, considered one of the most dangerous stretches of water in the world. Lying between Cape Horn, at the tip of South America, and the South Sandwich Islands, Drake Passage is named after the 16th Century British navigator Sir Francis Drake. Updates on Team Zayed’s journey will be available on EAD’s social media channels. In parallel to the team embarking on this journey, EAD, in collaboration with the Jane Goodall Institute and Sir Robert Swan’s organisation ClimateForce 2041, recently launched the ClimateForce Challenge. Open to all students in the UAE, the challenge encourages them to reduce their carbon footprint and keep a diary for one month documenting their everyday resource use and environmental behavioural change efforts. Excerpts of the winner’s diary will be included in a film and book that Team Zayed aims to produce upon their return. Razan Khalifa Al Mubarak, EAD Secretary-General, said, "Climate Change is the challenge of our time and a key part of the solution is to continue to raise awareness about the impact of global warming. We are confident that Team Zayed will return from their voyage having experienced something special and having gained knowledge and experience from some of the best environmental specialists in the world. This team was carefully selected for their passion and their positive contributions to the agency. We wish them our best and safe passage."