In Puerto Williams, the southernmost city of the American continent, it is cold. Winter and summer, the 2800 inhabitants of this place and, above all the tourists, walk warmly. Nobody would think of walking outdoors in a T-shirt. The rain and the wind, which can sometimes exceed 100 kilometers per hour, pierce the bones. But this summer the weather has not been the usual. “It’s hot,” commented the natives of Puerto Williams who, for the first time, bare their arms under a completely blue sky. “Here it is not normal to wear a T-shirt,” says biotechnologist Brenda Riquelme. It is the last city before crossing to Antarctica and is located on Navarino Island. This island is part of the Cabo de Hornos Biosphere Reserve and is considered a natural laboratory because, in certain places, such as Bandera Hill, which can be reached after an undemanding hike, the temperature is the same as in Antarctica. In fact, the same species can be found as on the white continent. That is one of the main reasons why the Cape Horn International Center for the Studies of Global Change and Biocultural Conservation (CHIC) is located in Puerto Williams. Scientists can study what happens in Antarctica without having to go there. Port Williams. Photo: Michelle Carrere. Navarino Island, however, is changing rapidly due to global warming on the planet. Last summer “temperatures…This article was originally published on Mongabay
