This is ANTARCTICA. And in 1985, it became the center of a global crisis…
Directly over Antarctica, high up in the stratosphere was a massive hole. And if we hadn’t done anything about it, today, we’d be living in an alternate world.
By now, a hole would be forming over the North Pole as well. By 2040, the “hole” would be over the entire planet. By 2065, skin cancer rates would be soaring. Kids wouldn’t play outside much anymore…
But that’s NOT the world we’re living in! In fact, you’ve probably stopped hearing this story altogether.
That wasn’t by accident. It was a choice. Two choices, both of which dramatically changed the course of human history for the better.
So let me show you how that happened and what's about to happen next. Because it turns out, the little sliver at the bottom of the map is actually the center of everything/our whole planet.
And you need to see this now, because scientists say we need to make the next big choice.
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Chapters
00:00 What happened to the ozone hole?
02:22 How do you get to Antarctica?
05:06 What is the ozone layer?
07:16 Who owns Antarctica?
08:47 Is Antarctica the center of the planet?
09:32 How much ice is in Antarctica?
10:24 Is that a penguin?!
10:35 What is the Antarctic Treaty?
11:25 What caused the ozone hole?
12:12 How did we fix the ozone hole?
13:33 What are the Blue Rivers?
14:23 What's happening to the ice in Antarctica?
15:05 What’s the next big choice?
16:06 :)
Special thanks to Dr. Steven Chown, Rebecca Warne and all of the amazing guides from the White Desert Foundation leading Science Week .
You can find me on Instagram here: https://www.instagram.com/cleoabram
On TikTok here: https://www.tiktok.com/@cleoabram
Or on Twitter here: https://twitter.com/cleoabram
Bio:
Cleo Abram is an Emmy-nominated independent video journalist. On her show, HUGE* If True, Cleo explores complex technology topics with rigor and optimism, helping her audience understand the world around them and see positive futures they can help build. Before going independent, Cleo was a video producer for Vox. She wrote and directed the Coding and Diamonds episodes of Vox’s Netflix show, Explained. She produced videos for Vox’s popular YouTube channel, was the host and senior producer of Vox’s first ever daily show, Answered, and was co-host and producer of Vox’s YouTube Originals show, Glad You Asked.
Additional reading and watching:
More videos on the ozone hole and Antarctica:
- Our previous HUGE* episode, “What’s Hidden Under Antarctica?” https://youtu.be/XfGEMCb6BQU?si=QAI_OwQ4K4EdAwkO
- “Why You Don’t Hear About the Ozone Layer Anymore”, Vox https://youtu.be/CaLOiGEDPJQ?si=oc8RRdtmyA0Za0Z8
- “What If All of Antarctica's Ice Suddenly Melted?”, What If https://youtu.be/HesXeHI0vEU?si=VaHHp4FXj4cMoAuY
- “What I Saw In Antarctica”, StarTalk https://youtu.be/pxUNoGzPjHw?si=cq4_NOmAhXhk1W7H
For more on the Ozone Hole and recent research:
- https://news.mit.edu/2026/scientists-find-ozone-depletion-began-decades-before-ozone-hole-discovery-0629
- https://science.nasa.gov/climate-change/faq/is-the-ozone-hole-causing-climate-change/
- https://ourworldindata.org/ozone-layer-context
- https://www.rgs.org/about-us/our-work/latest-news/commemorating-40-years-since-discovery-of-ozone-hole
- https://www.sciencehistory.org/education/scientific-biographies/susan-solomon/
- https://ourworldindata.org/data-insights/emissions-of-substances-that-deplete-the-ozone-layer-have-fallen-by-more-than-99-since-1989
NASA prediction models:
- https://science.nasa.gov/earth/earth-observatory/the-world-we-avoided-by-protecting-the-ozone-layer/
- https://science.nasa.gov/earth/earth-observatory/world-of-change/ozone-hole/
For more on the IGY + the research they did:
- https://www.nasa.gov/history/70-years-ago-scientists-establish-the-international-geophysical-year/
- https://physicstoday.aip.org/features/the-genesis-of-the-international-geophysical-year
- https://www.nsf.gov/science-matters/celebrating-65th-anniversary-international-geophysical-year
Vox: https://www.vox.com/authors/cleo-abram
IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm10108242/
Gear I use:
Camera: Sony A7SIII
Lens: Sony 16–35 mm F2.8 GM
Audio: Sennheiser SK AVX and Zoom H4N Pro
Music: Musicbed, Tom Fox
Follow along for more episodes of HUGE* If True: https://www.youtube.com/cleoabram?sub_confirmation=1
—
Hey, welcome to the joke down low!
What do you call kids born in Antarctica?
Chilldren
Find a way to use “chilldren” in a comment to let me know you’re a real one who made it to the end of the description :)
