When I think of what is beneath my feet today, I see things like rock and fossils and creatures that once lived. I see the layers of earth influenced by the two tectonic plates that meet right here in the Beagle Canal. But what is coming to mind most strongly for me are pieces of life left behind by people who have lived here, evidence that this place has always been capable of nurturing human existence. People have inhabited this island for roughly 12,000 years, eating primarily guanaco, sea lion, and whale before European colonization. The latter two animals were better because of higher fat content, a necessity in the extreme cold. Below my feet, there are tools made from rock and bones of extinct megafauna, like arrowheads and spears used to hunt large sea lions. There are also small toy versions of hunting spears, used by children to play games that will soon be a useful skill. Somewhere in the dirt are bits of wood that once were part of homes and burned in fires that were always kept alight to stay warm. Life here looks very different now, most food is imported from the mainland and woodfire not quite as popular to stay warm.
Aside from food and shelter, accessible drinking water has also been essential to human life in Tierra del Fuego. The water in Ushuaia comes from glacial melt, the Glacier Martial being the largest source of drinking water. Water is mostly safe from taps, but I have a filter at home and school next to the sink. My host sister became sick from the water when she was little, and so I try to take precautions as well. Tap water has also made me sick before while traveling, and it was one of the worst physical experiences of my life. Water pollution is more common in spring, as the glacier melts faster and more rain causes a flow of potential pollutants. The big river is quite brown here, and there’s a lot of dust everywhere being carried down the mountains by the water, something you might not imagine when thinking about a glacial water source. Though the smaller rivers are clean and would probably be a wonderful water source before the times of industrial filtration.
This big island also has an interesting energy grid, made up almost entirely of natural gas and separate from the rest of the country’s grid. This is a precarious situation for an island that needs to keep 190,000 people warm all winter, because if something goes wrong, we can’t draw upon other grids for help. And it is also very uncommon for a grid to be isolated like this, another challenge that comes with island infrastructure. Because Ushuaia uses mostly natural gas, I think this is what powers the radiators in my home. Natural gas is popular in Argentina, used in homes for heat, in car engines, and to generate electricity. Although still a finite and polluting energy resource, natural gas is considered cleaner than other fuels, emitting less CO2 and producing fewer air pollutants. Though the more exciting news about electricity in Tierra del Fuego is an anticipated wind farm in the works, thanks to a little help from foreign investors. If you’ve read my previous posts, you may have guessed that this area has tremendous potential for wind energy, so this is quite exciting for a small and relatively isolated grid that could do with some changes.
