What happens in Antarctica matters to our tropical nation

Polar advocacy: Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad presenting a keynote address at the Second Malaysia International Seminar on Antarctica in Penang in May 2004. Malaysia has long played a distinctive role in shaping international discourse on Antarctica. — Filepic/The Star

AS world leaders and scientists gather in Hiroshima this week for the Antarctic Treaty Consultative Meeting (ATCM), it is a timely moment to reflect on why Antarctica, the world’s most remote continent, matters deeply to a tropical nation like Malaysia.

Although separated from Antarctica by thousands of kilometres, Malaysia has long played a distinctive role in shaping international discourse on the White Continent.