Tara
Sails North - UNEP and Tara Arctic 2007 – 2008
Lorient, France, 11 July 2006
– The Polar Regions are some of the most hauntingly
beautiful places on Earth. They are also nature’s
early warning systems where issues like human-induced
climate change, the thinning of the ozone layer
and the impacts of persistent chemical pollution
continue to be registered first.
The Arctic region in particular is also increasingly
becoming a new economic powerhouse for minerals,
oil and gas extraction and shipping—partly as
a result of the receding ice due to climate change.
Both Polar Regions are seeing increased interest
from tourism and the fisheries industry keen to
exploit their vast and abundant fish stocks.
All of these issues present
opportunities and threats to indigenous peoples
living in the Arctic region and for the world
as a whole.
It is against this backdrop
that the United Nations Environment Programme
(UNEP) is supporting Tara Expeditions and the
Arctic Drift project, Tara Arctic 2007-2008.
As part of the International Polar Year (commencing
March 2007), the polar schooner Tara is setting
out today from Lorient, France, on a two year
expedition to the Arctic. On 19 July it will stop
in Oslo, and then continue northwards into the
Arctic Ocean.
Locked in the ice, the boat
will then drift across the region providing an
unprecedented platform for scientific observations
and research (including the European DAMOCLES
project) on how the Arctic environment is changing
- and relay these findings to scientists, policy
makers and the general public alike.
Two years ago, the Arctic Climate
Impact Assessment (ACIA), an unprecedented four-year
scientific study by an international team of 300
scientists, provided clear evidence that the Arctic
climate is warming rapidly now and, of even greater
concern, that much larger changes are projected
for the future (see below for more information).
“Through their scientific, educational
and environmental awareness work, Tara Expeditions
is building on the legacy of former UNEP special
envoy and previous owner of the boat, the late
Sir Peter Blake, in a manner that will contribute
to a greater understanding of what is happening
in the Arctic region today,” said UNEP Executive
Director, Achim Steiner. “And, importantly, they
are helping relay the message that what happens
at the poles should be of utmost concern to us
all.”
Tara’s progress can be followed
on the UNEP web site, http://www.unep.org and
from http://www.taraexpeditions.org
Background Information
Among its many and detailed scientific findings,
the Arctic Climate Impact Assessment
(ACIA) predicted that Arctic vegetation zones
and animal species will be impacted. Retreating
sea ice is expected to reduce the habitat for
polar bears, walrus, ice-inhabiting seals, and
marine birds, threatening some species with extinction.
Such changes will also impact
on many Arctic indigenous communities who depend
on such animals, not only for food, but also as
the basis for cultural and social identity.
And, beyond the region, as the
Arctic glaciers melt and the permafrost thaws,
it will be developing countries, with limited
means to adapt to environmental change that suffer
most. For more information and copies of the ACIA
see http://www.acia.uaf.edu/
For more information about International Polar
Year, see http://www.ipy.org
For information about the DAMOCLES (Developing
Arctic Modeling and Observing Capabilities for
Long-term Environmental Studies) project, see
http://www.damocles-eu.org/
With a link to IPY, Norway will host next year’s
UNEP World Environment Day celebrations. For more
information see http://www.unep.org
UNEP’s work in the Polar Regions
is led by the UNEP GRID Arendal centre in Norway.
For more information see http://polar.grida.no/
Robert Bisset
