Penguins from Antarctica – in the jungle! On August 20, the Ukrainian-Peruvian photo exhibition “Grilled Planet: Vulnerable Worlds of Antarctica and Amazonia” opened in Peru. Its opening took place in the Museum of Iquitos – a city in the heart of the jungle, at the source of the Amazon, which can be reached either by boat or by plane.
The exhibition was prepared jointly by the National Antarctic Center and the National University of the Peruvian Amazon (UNAP) with the assistance of the Embassy of Ukraine in Peru and personally Ambassador Yuriy Polyukhovych.
It is dedicated to those extreme climate changes, the impact of which significantly modifies both Amazonia and Antarctica. The same reasons cause both the extreme droughts that occurred last year in the jungle and the sharp warming on the icy continent.
Photographic evidence of global change in Antarctica and Amazonia can be seen in 36 photographs. They are arranged in pairs, showing what is happening to both ecosystems and how animals and plants are responding.
For many Peruvians, particularly indigenous people, this was their first encounter with the white continent. They were amazed to learn that faraway Antarctica was experiencing the same problems as their native Amazonia.
The head of the 30th UAE Oleksandr Poluden from Vernadsky joined the opening of the exhibition online. The polar explorer gave a tour of the station and spoke about our research.
Freddy F. Ramirez, UNAP representative and the author of Amazonia photo, noted: “Bringing this exhibition to Amazonia is not just a symbolic act, it is an urgent need. It is here that the effects of climate change are felt most acutely: fires, droughts, disappearing rivers. This exhibition aims not only to inform, but also to awaken awareness, dialogue and joint action in the areas that need it most.”
Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Ukraine to the Republic of Peru Yuriy Polyukhovych emphasized that this exhibition is traveling, and will be presented in the capital of Peru, Lima, this October.
A round table discussion on the impact of climate change on our planet was also held. The event was attended by representatives of the Peruvian authorities, Peruvian and Ukrainian scientists, and UNAP students.
The exhibition in Iquitos will run until September 1, 2025.
We remind you that this exhibition was presented in Ukraine a little earlier: in Kyiv in February and in Odesa in April of this year.
Photo: Lucho Gomez, Yuriy Polyukhovych
