Environmental lawyer Cormac Cullinan lauded for his work to establish continent’s legal status to protect its interestsCormac Cullinan has a dream. A dream, he says, that will “change how humanity sees, understands and relates to Antarctica”. The vast frozen continent – home to emperor and Adélie penguins, leopard and Ross seals, and feeding grounds for orcas, beaked whales and albatrosses – should be recognised as an autonomous legal entity “at least equivalent to a country”, says the environmental lawyer.And this week that dream became one step closer to reality as judges awarded Cullinan the Shackleton medal for the protection of the polar regions. Continue reading…