What do you think we should be doing to save the Arctic?

Posted by bex — 13 February 2012 at 10:46am - Comments
Da Vinci's Vitruvian Man Recreated on Arctic Sea Ice
All rights reserved. Credit: Greenpeace / Nick Cobbing
Da Vinci's Vitruvian Man recreated on Arctic sea ice by John Quigley

As I write, major oil companies like Shell, ExxonMobil and Chevron are planning their moves into the Arctic to exploit its vast mineral resources. The five Arctic states are beginning the process of carving up the high north. Meanwhile, the ice keeps melting – we’ve now lost 75 per cent of Arctic sea ice in just 30 years. The global battle to protect the Arctic - from oil exploration, from industrialisation and from climate change – needs to be ambitious, bold and successful. So we’re asking you: what do you think we should we be doing to save the Arctic? 

Last year, you helped to make sure that Cairn’s oil spill response plan was published – and exposed as deeply flawed. You challenged VW’s stance on climate change laws, dividing the car industry around this critical issue. You pushed to get the Arctic onto the UK’s political agenda by asking David Cameron what his plans were to protect the Arctic. 

All of this has brought us a step closer to saving the Arctic. But as the high north grows more vulnerable to industrialisation, as the ice melts, as the oil companies move in and the geopolitical battles over its resources heat up, we need to step up our efforts to protect it – and quickly.

In the coming months and years we need to campaign boldly - and successfully - to save the Arctic. This is going to need a lot of help from you. So we want to know:

What do you think we should be doing to save the Arctic? 

Comment on our blog, share your ideas on Facebook or Tweet with the hashtag #SaveTheArctic. 

If you’re in need of inspiration, have a look at our Antarctica campaign, which eventually resulted in the signing of The Protocol on Environmental Protection to the Antarctic Treaty and the establishment of 'World Park Antarctica'.

Update: Scroll down to the bottom of the comments and click on the last page to view the latest comments.

Thanks all - lots of fantastic ideas / thoughts. Keep them coming please!

Bex
gpuk 

There are some absolutely brilliant ideas and discussions going on here. We're reading / listening with huge interest. The ideas / discussions here will feed into our planning, so please do keep them coming!

Thanks all,

Bex
gpuk 

I agree that the wider public will be motivated far more by high
profile celebrities than by the tragic facts of the campaign. It was
good to have Lucy Lawless on board as it meant the story was spread.

I know there's already a lot of dumbing down in outreach, but things
like animations really work. (I saw a whole year of grumpy, resentful
sixth-formers transformed and engaged by the brilliant Barbie/Ken vid).

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