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                       Young Arctic Ambassadors meet Gorbachev to express concerns about Climate Change
Moscow – On Friday 21st November, Green Cross International Founding President MikhailGorbachev did pay tribute to an international coalition of children, who have been particularly active in alerting the public about critical environmental issues endangering the Arctic. Aïnhoa Hardy, Flaam Hardy and Beth Idlout (who came all the way from Nunavut, Canada) presented the results of the expedition to President Gorbachev at the Gorbachev Foundation in Moscow. The young adventurers each received a “Young Ambassador” award from Mr. Gorbachev’s directly, recognizing their contribution to the fight against climate change. Not present at the ceremony but equally involved were other members of the Pax Arctica expedition 2008: Kuria Mwaura, Mark Tosi, Olympia Nagel-Caland, and the Zangrillo sisters, Amber, Ashley and Alexa. Here is a photo and video summary of the event:
© Sagax / Pax Arctica
Arriving at the Gorbachev Foundation:
Main Amphitheatre Presentation:
President Mikhail Gorbachev presents his book- "THE ROAD WE TRAVELED - THE CHALLENGES WE FACE"and congratulates members of Pax Arctica:
Presentation of FASNY (French American School of New York):
President Mikhail Gorbachev congratulates Sponsors of the Pax Arctica Initiative:
About the Pax Arctica Initiative:
The children, between the ages of 10 and 17 years, and representing France, Germany, Italy, Kenya, the US and Nunavut (Canada), are part of a multi-year mission called “Pax Arctica” that aims to study and educate the public about the effects of climate change on the Artic. Pax Arctica emphasizes focused research by ecological scientists and environmental advocates to explore and assess the ecological conditions and the geopolitical climate of the Arctic. The ultimate goal of the mission is to determine the steps needed to preserve the Arctic ecosystem for generations to come and to encourage the ratification of international policies to ensure the preservation of the Arctic habitat. The expedition is a joint effort by Green Cross International and Sagax Expeditions, and is supported by UFG, Y&R, KDS, RABOBANK, HP and Napapijri.
Pax Arctica was the first expedition to witness a major break-off of the Arctic ice shelf in July 2008. The breaking up of the ice shelf has continued since then, leading to a 23% loss of the Canadian Ice Shelves. According to Dr. Derek Mueller, a polar scientist at Trent University in Canada who first reported the cracking of the Ward Hunt ice shelf in 2002, what was witnessed is the consequence of gradually warming temperatures, especially in the North: “This ice shelf has become destabilized with cracks over the past six years and recent open water conditions to the north of the ice shelf have facilitated the latest break off. The observations made by the Pax Arctica team helped pin down exactly when the calving took place“.
For more information, please contact: Michelle Laug – Green Cross International - +41.22789.16.62 – michelle.laug@gci.ch or Luc Hardy – Sagax/Pax Arctica - +1-203-625 0237 – lh@sagax.com
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