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■王鴻睿表示，部分南極企鵝因環境變化而延遲出世，未能趕及在冬天前長好羽毛，隨時面臨凍死的威脅。 資料圖片
王鴻睿現為理大物流及航運學系三年級學生，他表示，3年前學校邀請世界第1個徒步穿越南北極點的英國人Robert Swan到校舉辦環保講座，他因此留意到由Robert發起的環保組織「2041」及其每年1次的南極考察活動。王鴻睿最終下定決心，報名參加今年3月的南極考察團，憑過往的環保工作經驗，他順利通過「2041」的全球篩選，加入南極遠征隊，成為當中年齡最小的隊員。
在考察團的各類活動中，王鴻睿逐漸體會南極的生態環境已開始惡化。他指出，考察隊每日上午主要進行攀爬冰山的活動，當他們到達山頂後，機構組織者會拿出過往多年在同一地點拍攝的圖片作對比，再讓隊員拍下現況。他說：「以往的冰雪天地已消失，我們被浮冰圍繞，這歸咎於人類各種行為令全球氣候暖化，導致南極冰川逐年融化。」
冰川融化、水位上升令南極圈內的動物面臨生存威脅。王鴻睿指出，考察期間隨時可見到企鵝、海豹、鯨魚等動物。期間，他親見一批企鵝因環境變化而延遲一周出世，本來該在冬天來臨前長好的羽毛卻未及豐滿，「部分企鵝或因此在冬天死亡，這亦令以捕殺企鵝為生的海豹面臨生存影響」。
PolyU Student Experienced Glacier Melting in South Pole
Wang Hong-rui is now a year three undergraduate of the Department of Logistics and Maritime Studies in the Hong Kong Polytechnic University. 3 years ago, while attending a seminar on environmental protection organized by the university, he learnt about the green group 2041 and its annual expedition to the South Pole. The seminar was chaired by the group founder, Robert Swan, the first British who traveled to both the North and South Pole on foot. Wang finally made up his mind and signed up for the expedition which took place in March this year. Thanks to his working experience in environmental protection, he passed the worldwide selection held by 2041 and became the youngest member of the Antarctic expedition team.
Through the activities along the journey, Wang realized gradually that the ecology of the South Pole has been deteriorating. One of the major activities of the expedition, as he pointed out, was to climb an ice mountain every morning. When they reached the summit, the organizer showed the team members pictures that were taken on the same spot in previous years for them to compare and then asked them to photograph the status quo. "The vastly ice-covered landscape is gone. We are now surrounded by floating icebergs because the ice in the South Pole is melting year by year due to global warming caused by various human activities," he said.
Melting glaciers and the rising sea level have threatened the survival of animals in the Antarctic Circle. Wang said that during the trip they could see frequently animals like penguins, seals and whales. On one occasion, he witnessed the birth of a brood of penguins being delayed by a whole week due to changes in the environment. These penguins would not be able to have feathers that should have been fully grown before the arrival of winter. "Some of the penguins may die in the winter and the seals that rely on penguins as a source of food may be endangered as a result," he said. ■Translation by 開明
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