A dozen educators and over 60 university students are currently travelling along the Antarctica Peninsula aboard the M/V Ushuaia, a steel-hulled, ice-strengthened ship for Antartic supply and oceanographic research.
They are part of the University of Antarctica Expedition, a unique educational experience for University students to examine the uniqueness of the the Antarctic continent, and its political, sceintific and exploration history.
Joining the educators is GRID-Arendal’s John Crump, who is helping these students to draw on the linkages between Antarctica and the rest of the world.
One result has been this short film, sent by satellite uplink, where students send a message to the more than 100 environment ministers from around the world currently meeting in Nairobi, Kenya. The message is simple: Protect the Poles, Protect the Planet.
“Antarctica affects so much of the rest of the world and people see the poles as being far-away places, but really, the poles have a huge impact on what happens throughout the rest of the globe. In turn, the things that happen in the centre, where most people live, affect the poles. Everything is more connected than you think.” - Carly Ziter, University of Guelph (Canada).
The 26th UNEP Governing Council/Global Ministerial Environment Forum, currently under way in Nairobi, Kenya between the 21st and 24th February 2011, is an annual high-level meeting that reviews important and emerging policy issues in the field of the environment, with this years two main themes being the Green Economy and International Environmental Governance.
This short film was produced by Students on Ice Antarctica University Expedition.