Antarctic ‘cold rush’ raises fears for last great wilderness

A building boom in the frozen wastes of the Antarctic, one of the most inhospitable environments on the planet, has raised fears that the icy continent will fall prey to the worldwide search for oil, gas and other minerals.

As the driest, windiest and coldest continent on Earth, Antarctica has long been the setting for heroic feats of exploration and cutting-edge scientific research – in addition to being home to more than 20 million penguins. For decades, only a handful of nations had bases on its pristine expanses.

telegraph