We have permanent bases in Antarctica. Could we establish a colony there? Very likely. Given we have some people live there nearly year round, I'm sure we could

We have permanent bases in Antarctica. Could we establish a colony there? Very likely. Given we have some people live there nearly year round, I'm sure we could, actually. But why would we? The "why?" for Mars is "What happens if Earth is fucked Completely, royally, and absolutely fucked." What happens when a catastrophic event wipes out all life on Earth? Colonizing Antarctica or the Sahara does nothing to ensure human survival in that case. But putting people on Mars and creating a self-sufficient colony? As long as Mars isn't fucked too - humans might live on. There are plenty of people who are interested in human survival.