Climate Solutions
Climate Initiatives
Pole Expeditions
Both the Arctic and the Antarctic are showing signs of global warming. Global Green USA, in conjunction with other Green Cross International affiliates, is bringing attention to these areas through expeditions that hilight the imminent danger caused by these warming trends.
Pax Arctica
Green Cross France will lead a series of expeditions to the Arctic in conjunction with Green Cross organizations in Canada, the United Sates, Russia, Denmark and Sweden. Global Green USA Board Member Sebastian Copeland and Luc Hardy will jointly lead the expedition. The expeditions, which will unfold until 2010, will feed research on high stakes issues: Climate, mineral resources, transportations, culture and biodiversity.
The Pax Arctica initiative has two objectives.
- The expeditions will endeavor to impart an educational message by involving young people. The idea is to prove that young people, symbols of future generations, want to commit themselves to peace and to the protection of the Arctic and of its resources.
- The expeditions will also convey a political, scientific, philosophical and ethical message: It is the responsibility of our generation to regulate the exploitation of mineral resources in the Arctic in order to protect its unique and fragile environment for the sake of local populations and future generations. It is necessary to find long-term solutions to prevent utilitarian and by definition limited appropriation.
The Arctic program will have the following objectives:
- To oppose and put an end to territorial claims in spite of the relentless claims by five surrounding nations (Russia, USA, Canada, Denmark, and Norway). The objective here is to help fill the existing judicial and legal void by having recourse to just and legitimate international arbitration.
- To promote the creation of international legal instruments to freeze the exploitation of the ocean’s seabed, regulate the exploitation of dry land resources, and encourage scientific research and scientific optimization of the region.
- To make the general public and political leaders aware of the Arctic’s character as a world public good.
Spring 2009: Centennial North Pole Expedition
Sebastian Copeland is embarking on this trip in commemoration of the 100th anniversary of the first trek to the North Pole by Admiral Robert Peary in 1909. The expedition will raise awareness of the alarming rate of ice melt due to Global Warming. Scientists predict that in less than five years, the Arctic sea will be ice free in the summer months. In 1909, the average depth of ice at the North Pole was 12 feet while today it averages just 5.5 feet. A daily blog of the expedition can be found on MySpace.
Summer 2008: Young Ambassadors of the Arctic
An international coalition of children took a trip to the Ward Hunt ice shelf in July 2008. The kids, ages 9-17, came from diverse backgrounds and areas around the world, yet shared a common passion to learn more about climate change. To read about the expedition, click here.
Antarctica
In 2006, a multi-national expedition of scientific experts, researchers, and photographers brought back unique images from remote Antarctica, illustrating the melting ice shelf.
To send a ‘global warning’ to the world about the threats posed by climate change and to encourage smart solutions (i.e., renewable energy, conservation, fuel efficiency), the group also sent a photo of themselves assembled on a stark white iceberg to form a large “human SOS.” Global Green USA and Green Cross Argentina co-organized the photographic mission with Sebsastian Copeland, Spectral Q’s John Quigley and the crew of the Ice Lady Patagonia and Asociación Buque Austral Patagónico.
The message calls attention to the imminent danger caused by warming trends to Antarctica and the melting sea ice, not just to penguins in Antarctica but to all of humanity due to the resulting rising sea levels. Since 1945, the Antarctic Peninsula has experienced a warming of about 4.5 degrees. This has, among other threats to nature, resulted in the Adelie Penguin population shrinking by 33 percent in the past 25 years. If the Antarctica ice sheet were to break from land and slip into the ocean, global sea levels could rise by 20 feet. 80% of the world’s population lives in coastal areas.
Arctic Circle
In 2005, Global Green led a delegation of celebrities, scientists, and political leaders to the Arctic Circle on Earth Day. Salma Hayek and Jake Gyllenhaal helped Global Green generate worldwide visibility from “the top of the world” about the plight of the indigenous Inuit people whose very way of life is threatened by the impacts of snowmelt attributed to global warming. As a result of the trip, Global Green generated international press coverage that included the Washington Post and CNN.
"Having seen the Arctic Circle firsthand," said Hayek, "It's deeply disturbing to me that even though there is growing physical and scientific evidence from the research community illustrating the effects of global warming, world leaders simply are not doing enough to fight the problem."
PHOTO GALLERY
Publications
Global Solar Report Card
The Global Solar Report Card by Global Green USA and Green Cross International outlines successes and failures in 16 countries’ (and the state of California’s) efforts in designing promising policy frameworks for sustained solar development. It finds all countries still in the early phases of solar deployment. The ranking is based on a 100-point system that allocates points for the amount of solar installed so far, as well as for drivers of future growth, including financial and regulatory incentives, and educational and advocacy efforts.
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Solar City Report: How Los Angeles can Gain the Economic and Environmental Competitive Edge
Global Green USA's proposal for the City of Los Angeles to develop its solar resources by committing to "carving out" 1% (80 megawatts) of its electrical generation capacity for photovoltaic technology. Benefits for the City include economic development opportunities, stabilizing electric rates, improving air quality and reducing green house gas emissions. Winter 2005.
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