Hordes of Tourists Are Trashing Antarctica

In Frederik Pohl and Cyril Kornbluth's 1953 sci-fi classic "The Space Merchants," governments have been replaced by powerful corporations that have privatized nearly every corner of the globe. Thanks to overpopulation on all of the other continents, Antarctica has become a resort colony, chock full of tourists, equipment-rental companies, and violently invasive advertisements.

It's a powerful novel — though one that was never meant to be taken as a suggestion. Unfortunately, a growing tourist industry seems to be turning that space-age fantasy into reality.

Drawn by sweeping polar vistas, unspoiled Antarctic reefs, and exotic wildlife, tourists are paying prices as high as $18,000 for a spot on board a cruise ship bound for the Great White South.

The vast majority of Antarctic tourists depart for the Southern Continent via cruise ship out of Ushuaia, Argentina, dubbed the "end of the world." A New York Times profile on tourism in Ushuaia notes that the number of Antarctic visitors has increased by nearly 215 percent since the 2014-2015 season.

Unfortunately for residents of Ushuaia — the site of 90 percent of Antarctic departures — that explosion in tourism has come with a huge increase in pollution, cost of living, and stress on the local economy. The NYT profile reports that each Antarctic tourist emits nearly five tons of CO2 emissions per trip, or about the annual average per human (though the newspaper of record notes that Americans are "closer to 16 tons.")

The International Association of Antarctic Tourism Operators (IAATO) — a private-sector industry group — currently lists 51 tour operators in its directory, some of which operate ships ferrying between 200 and 499 passengers to Antarctica at a time.

Though bound by strict regulations regarding waste and fuel oil standards, the kind of tourism enabled by these ships is plaguing the continent with invasive species, noxious ship exhaust, construction waste, and even graffiti.

As Antarctic tourism heats up, researchers and conservationists have raised concerns that the IAATO model — which essentially allows tour operators to regulate themselves — creates little incentive for tour operators to monitor the impacts of tourism on the icy frontier, or limit guests if things get out of hand. One study of the IAATO system found that the group could face considerable challenges holding the reigns as the number of companies operating in Antarctica grows, not least of which is the fact that IAATO membership is optional.

There's also the human element to consider.

Though Argentina's hugely-privatized economy is showing small signs of growth, its population has suffered with poverty levels as high as 57 percent this year. Though the tourism industry might be booming in Ushuaia, some residents spend as much as 80 percent of their wages on ramshackle housing in illegal shanty towns surrounding the city center.

So if you're thinking about whether to shell out thousands for a peek at the end of the world, remember that the cruise bill is really just the tip of the iceberg.

More on Antarctica: Space Tourists Startled to Discover That From Space, Antarctica Looks Pretty Much Like You'd Expect

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