Despite the blinding summer sun, the temperatures would have been around -20C as Gabriel Boric, Chile’s president, made his historic visit to the South Pole last week.

To mark the occasion, the millennial briefly took his hat and gloves off to pose for photos beside a Black Hawk helicopter after making the arduous 24-hour journey from Santiago.

Mr Boric is thought to be the first sitting head of government from the Americas to reach the South Pole. He was accompanied by his environment and defence ministers, the three heads of Chile’s armed forces and a scientific delegation.

Their presence, he said, showed Chile’s deep commitment to Antarctica remaining a “continent of science and peace.”

Officially, the trip was to promote the environmental agenda of Mr Boric, a leftist leader who has been outspoken on climate change. He specifically mentioned the monitoring of particles of black carbon (soot) settling on the ice and subtly undermining its ability to reflect – rather than absorb – the sun’s rays.