Video: The New Northwest Passage

Back in 2009, explorer Cameron Dueck successfully sailed through the Northwest Passage where he witnessed first hand the impact of global climate change on the Inuit people that live there. The four-month long voyage was an adventure in and of itself as Dueck and his three-person crew contended with massive storms, icy waters and the challenges of navigating through unknown waters. On April 10 a book entitled The New Northwest Passage: A Voyage to the Front Line of Climate Change will be released. That book will chronicle the 15,000km (8100 nautical mile) journey that was both an amazing adventure and a revealing look at the impact of global warming on a group of people who are witnessing its effects first hand. The promo video below gives us a tiny glimpse into what that voyage was all about.


Book Promo -- New Northwest Passage: A Voyage to the Front Line of Climate Change from Cameron Dueck on Vimeo.

Mark Wood's North Pole Expedition In Jeopardy

For the past several months we've been following explorer Mark Wood as he attempts to become the first person to ski to the North and South Pole back-to-back. He completed the first stage of that journey in early January when he reached the 90ºS and he has been anxiously preparing for the second stage of the expedition ever since. A few weeks back, Mark announced that he would no longer be skiing to the North Pole but would instead begin at the top of the world and ski southward once again. The reason for that change in direction   was because of the dramatic break-up of the Arctic ice and how that could impact his ability to make progress early on.

Now, it seems Wood has hit another snag in his plans, although this one is more financial in nature. Because of the increased danger for travel in the Arctic, rescue teams are now requiring a substantial deposit ahead of time just in case they need to retrieve explorers from the ice. Conducting rescues above the Arctic Circle is a dangerous, costly affair and in order to ensure that that can happen, Mark now needs a considerable amount of money so that he can proceed with the expedition. Money that he doesn't have, and won't have, unless he can find a corporate sponsor or raise funds elsewhere. To that end, he has released the video below in the hopes that someone will be able to assist his cause.

It should be noted that prior to this, Mark wasn't asking for funds or donations of any kind. While he is making the journey to raise awareness of the impact of global climate change, he has always asked us to pledge to help his cause through the Donation website. On that site, we don't pledge money of any kind, but instead choose to select a number of activities that can help us lower our carbon footprint and help ease the burden on our planet. It is a great approach to this issue and I respect that Wood has chosen to go this route rather than simply passing the hat around the table.

Now it seems that Mark is definitely in need of a white knight to come along and save him. His expedition is a good one and his message is definitely positive as well. Hopefully he'll find a sponsor soon and can begin the second phase of his journey as expected.

North Pole 2012: Change In Direction For Mark Wood

For the past few months we've been following Mark Wood on his North South Solo Expedition as he attempts to make back-to-back trips to the North and South Pole. After 50 days in the Antarctic, Mark achieved the first leg of that journey by reaching the South Pole on January 10th. He has now moved on to Canada, where he's now preparing for the Arctic leg of his adventure, although there has now been a change of plans.

Apparently Mark enjoys traveling south much more than north, as he will no longer be traveling from Cape Discovery to the North Pole, but will instead go in the opposite direction. I received a press release this morning that indicated that this change of course is a direct result of the unstable ice conditions at the top of the world. It has been no secret that global climate change has caused the Arctic ice to become thinner and break-up more often. That has made North Pole expeditions extremely challenging the past few years. Marks plan is to start at the top of the world and head South instead, which makes it a bit easier to deal with those unstable conditions. It also means that he'll probably have the drifting ice work in his favor, which is usually a real challenge to those heading north.

This change in plan means that Mark is now headed home to London for a brief stop over, before proceeding to the North Pole in a month or so. My guess is that he'll get to 90ºN by way of the Barneo Ice Station, which is created on the Russian side of the Arctic each year. He'll then start heading south towards Cape Discovery, in Canada, while reporting back live on his findings of the impact of climate change on the ice there.

Stay tuned for more. We'll continue to follow Mark's grand adventure in the weeks ahead.

Video: Return Of The Sun To Greenland

I caught this video this morning over at the Adventure Journal and thought that it was well worth sharing here as well. Anyone who is still denying that our planet is getting warmer should probably take a look at the short film below, as it really brings home how much things have changed in a fairly short time. The filmmakers traveled to Greenland to film the return of the sun in January, but they also found that the people there have seen a real change to their environment due to global warming. The man narrating the film even says that a decade ago he didn't believe the changes that were being predicted, as the weather was just too cold. Now, those predictions have come to be true, altering his life forever.

It is a beautifully done video that will leave an impression for sure.



Return of the Sun on Nowness.com.

Everest Now Streaming On Webcam

A team of scientists researching the effects of climate change on the Himalaya have installed a solar powered webcam on Kala Patthar and aimed it at everyone's favorite mountain – Everest. The cam is only in operation from 6AM to 6PM local time (which means as I write this, it is off) but offers of views of the world's tallest mountain during daylight hours.

The researchers have also set up a host of weather recording instruments and hope to use them in conjunction with the camera to monitor how Everest changes over time as a result of our changing climate. Glaciers throughout the region are in retreat and that has had a direct impact on the amount of fresh water that is available for those living in the mountains. As the atmosphere continues to warm up, the mountain people of the Himalaya could be facing a potential crisis that will have a direct impact on their way of life.

Check out the webcam by clicking here and the Everest weather monitors by clicking here. They offer up such info as current temperatures, humidity, wind speed, and more.