Scientific Committee for Antarctic Research
The Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research (SCAR) is a thematic organisation of the International Science Council (ISC), and was created in 1958. SCAR is charged with initiating, developing and coordinating high quality international scientific research in the Antarctic region (including the Southern Ocean), and on the role of the Antarctic region in the Earth system. SCAR provides objective and independent scientific advice to the Antarctic Treaty Consultative Meetings and other organizations such as the UNFCCC and IPCC on issues of science and conservation affecting the management of Antarctica and the Southern Ocean and on the role of the Antarctic region in the Earth system.
SCAR meets every two years to conduct its administrative business at the SCAR Delegates Meeting. The Biennial SCAR Meeting includes three sets of meetings that occur consecutively in even numbered years.
The membership of SCAR comprises ISC-affiliated national scientific academies or research councils (or the organisation designated by the national ISC representative body) of countries that are active in Antarctic research, together with the relevant Scientific Unions of ISC. SCAR helps to coordinate activities between all its members and helps to build capacity in countries who are just starting to develop an interest in the Antarctic or are in the early stages of building their Antarctic programmes. SCAR currently includes 44 member countries (comprising 32 full and 12 associate members) and 9 ISC unions.
Malaysia admitted as SCAR full member in 2008. Malaysia is among the very few countries from the Tropics that have ventured into polar research. Malaysia has also played an active role in SCAR activities including initiating, developing and coordinating high quality international scientific researches in the Antarctic region. Malaysia was the first Asian country to host the 34th SCAR Biennial Meetings and 2016 Open Science Conference in Kuala Lumpur. These meetings draw world-wide attention to Antarctic issues and provide an opportunity for scientists from various disciplines and countries to present their work, establish networking and become more involved in SCAR science activities.
For more information on SCAR, you may visit their website via https://www.scar.org/