School kids on fossil-fueled "fact"-finding trip to Antarctica; who's footing the bill for this?

SEVEN secondary school pupils are preparing for a trip of a lifetime to Antarctica next month to learn about the damaging effects of climate change.

The transition-year pupils from schools throughout the country will form part of a four-week, 60-strong expedition to the frozen continent.

They will take part in projects that include studying the melting ice caps and examining how global warming affects seals.

Led by renowned explorer Pat Falvey, the teenagers will work alongside a team of 10 scientists, including experts from GMIT and Limerick IT.

Mr Falvey said: "It is the biggest educational project ever to go out on global warming and climate change in Ireland from young people.

World Climate Report » Antarctica: Warming, Cooling, or Both?

Incredibly, if you are interested in Antarctica temperature trends from the present back to 1982, the region has cooled. If you go from present back to 1966, the region has cooled. Like it or not, over the past four decades, and during the time of the greatest build-up of greenhouse gases, Antarctica has been cooling!