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In the warmest period in Earth's past 55 million years, Antarctica was ice-free and forested. The continent's vast ice sheets, which today contain more than two-thirds of Earth's freshwater, began forming about 38 million years ago.

Now wait just a dang minute! How could Antarctica POSSIBLY have been ice-free and forested without humans creating all the CO2 that caused the ice to melt?! Then, how did the CO2 get cleaned up (without UN help) in order for the next ice age to occur?

And, it wasn't "ice free" since there's a mountain range buried under a mile of ice that could have EASILY hosted vast glaciers that would make you think "gee, now that's an ice sheet".

Part of the trick here is that when you remove the existing ice sheets the land rebounds thousands of feet so the mountains get much higher relative to sea level.

More entertaining for those who want to see what happens when Antarctica hooks up to South America is a topic entitled "Circumpolar Cyclone" or "Antarctic Circumpolar Circulation" ~ which applies to air and sea. Without South America in the way the winds and water currents begin traveling in a large circle around Antarctica. That prevents warm ocean currents from getting close to the continent so it gets colder.

Currently it's "colder". Could actually get even "colder".