Bearing witness to dramatic change in our vulnerable Arctic

August 26, 2008

Cape Farewell’s expedition to our vulnerable Arctic

Cape Farewell is an inspirational international project about climate change. Envisioned by British artist David Buckland, it brings together scientists, artists, educators and high school students from around the world on an Arctic voyage of discovery.

On September 28 young voyagers from Canada and six other countries will board a research vessel in Reykjavik, Iceland, to sail around the southern tip of Greenland to Iqaluit on Canada’s Baffin Island. As ambassadors of their schools and communities, they will observe and interpret the effects of climate change in the Arctic. What they see and experience will inspire them and those they touch to seek social and technological solutions to this huge global problem.

Over the next couple of weeks, the teens and their advisors will be blogging on a special MaRS mini-blog about their experiences. MaRS and Cape Farewell are natural partners, given their dedication to our future leaders, innovation in the face of global issues, social change, collaboration, as well as the melding of science and art. MaRS will have a screen set up in the Atrium throughout September to showcase the journey. Follow our path, our stories, our journey, as we explore the opportunity that is the Arctic.

Along the way, these students from each province and territory in Canada and from Brazil, Germany, India, Ireland, Mexico, and the United Kingdom will send back images and stories through videos and blogs. During the voyage they will be mentored by top scientists and artists from Canada, the U.K. and the U.S.

The expedition, organized by the British Council and supported by MaRS, is an opportunity for these young people to learn about the science of climate change and to communicate this critical issue through their art, talks and writing. At participating schools, teachers and students passionate about the project will integrate its message into disciplines as diverse as dance, music, art, geography, science and mathematics.

With sea ice now receding rapidly, Canada’s polar region is experiencing the most profound effects of climate change. And as Nunavut’s Nobel nominee Sheila Watt-Cloutier has noted, “the Arctic is the barometer of the world’s health.”