Mikhail Gorbachev

Interesting video link to better understand Mikhail’s Gorbachev’s background and the role of Green Cross International in the world: to see the video.

Velib

It saves time, it’s good for the environment, it’s fun and it’s (virtually) free. At a press conference in Paris this morning, my partners (GreenCross International and Ecopolaris/GREA) and I presented the main results of the Sagax REVO expedition to a parterre of journalists covering the environment. Coming out of the 2nd District Town Hall where the event was held, I could one more time rent a Velib bicycle, omnipresent in Paris these days. I just discovered the implementation of this great new idea. Bravo Paris!!

Germany’s Merker in Greenland too...

We knew Greenland was becoming a tourist destination... but now politicians seem to show up more often too. last month was Germany’s Merkel turn. Is Bush next?

“German Chancellor Angela Merkel, in Greenland to find out more about the consequences of global warming first hand, has called for the US and China to sign on to the the successor agreement to the Kyoto Protocol. But her trip has been criticized by opposition politicians as a publicity stunt.

As a former physicist and environment minister, it is only natural that German Chancellor Angela Merkel would want to learn about the consequences of global warming first hand.

Merkel and Environment Minister Sigmar Gabriel began a two-day visit to Greenland Thursday to see the Ilulissat Icefjord, a UNESCO world heritage site, and the Sermeq Kujalleq glacier. The glacier, which is located about 200 kilometers (125 miles) north of the Arctic Circle, has thinned in recent years in what scientists say is one of the most obvious signs of global warming. Experts are concerned that Greenland's melting ice sheet could cause global sea levels to rise, with catastrophic effects on low-lying areas.”

Polar bears wiped out?

As widely reported in the press recently, government scientists estimate that two-thirds of polar bears will disappear by 2050, even under moderate shrinking ice scenarios. Polar bears are estimated at approx. 25,000. By then the only place where one could see them might be in Northern Greenland (above photo from our expedition) or in Northern Canada.

Wow!

Pacific Rim Nations Adopt Non binding Emissions Targets...
When politicians pronounce profound sentences such as “long-term aspirational goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions”, we immediately all breathe more easily. Or are we?

Northwest Passage nearly open!

As reported by NASA on August 22, 2007: This image shows sea ice around the Northwest Passage as observed by the Advanced Microwave Scanning Radiometer for EOS (AMSR-E) aboard NASA’s Aqua satellite on August 22, 2007. In this image, blue indicates open water, white indicates high sea ice concentration, and turquoise indicates loosely packed sea ice. The black circle at the North Pole indicates no data as the satellite does not make observations that far north. McClure Strait, Parry Channel, Victoria Strait, and McClintock Channel (north of Victoria Strait), all appear nearly ice-free. North of McClure Strait, an area of sea ice remains, but it is fragmented. Multi-year ice (ice that survives more than one melt season) tends to be thicker and more resistant to melt than first-year ice (formed over just one winter). According to John Falkingham of the Canadian Ice Service, most of the multi-year ice melted from Victoria Strait and McClintock Channel in the summer of 2006, leaving these traditionally difficult areas more open. In mid-August 2007, only patchy areas of ice filled Victoria Strait and Larsen Sound, immediately to the north. Falkingham described the Northwest Passage as “nearly open.” Changes in the Northwest Passage were part of a larger pattern of melt in 2007 that also affected the East Siberian Sea.

They are back!

Dr. Olivier Gilg and Brigitte Sabard (and son Vladimir) are now back from Greenland too. Their return completes the on-location part of the Sagax REVO expedition. Many more results to come which will be distributed via press, radio and TV in the next few weeks/months. Stay tuned! -- Luc

Raising animals for meat -- global warming?

The last few months have seen a series of reports, articles and remarks on the issue of raising animals for meat and global warming. In November 2006, the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (UNFAO) issued a report concluding that the raising of livestock generates more greenhouse gas emissions than all forms of transportation combined. Even Al Gore has been targeted as being “Too Chicken to Go Vegetarian?”. An issue which will certainly resurface in the next few months... What do you think?

A desert?

At first sight, in areas not covered by snow or ice, Greenland looks like a desert -- here near Mestersvig (northeast Greenland) -- but for those who can be patient and adventurous, fauna and flora is rich

Flashback: melting of ice shelf

June 22, 2007: Hunters in Ittoqqortoormiit try to get as much of the hunting season as they can. Sometimes it means taking risks and going on the ice although it is ready to break. This Greenland dog falls in a small lead -- but will quickly get out and go on.

Checking Dogs

Two military personnel from Station Nord, a permanent base from the Danish Navy in north eastern Greenland do a routine check on a sled dog. Teeth and paws are the most important body parts to check!

Yves Paccalet

Yves Paccalet is president of Green Cross France and a wonderful writer. Check his blog and books

Her Inconvenient Truth...

Please check Marguerite’s blog whenever you need truly thoughtful insights into where the (warming) world is going and what you can do about it. I met again Marguerite today in Palo Alto, after 28 years... She is also a graduate of Ecole Centrale in Paris and an environmentalist activist and startup consultant!!

Lucy

Lucy, the long-tailed skua which we fitted with a radio transmitter in Mestersvig (Eastern Greenland) on July 2, has now reached the Azores!! what a trip already, and we are all curious to see where she will go next.

Lucy, le labbe à longue queue que nous avons équipé avec une balise radio à Mestersvig (à l’est du Groenland) le 2 juillet, a maintenant rejoint les Açores !! Quel voyage, nous sommes tous curieux de voir où elle va aller maintenant.

Flashback: toys and snow - Flashback: jouets et neige

June 19, 2007: Vladimir Gilg, starts his 5th season in the Arctic. While parents explore the surroundings for signs of ivory gulls and other (rare) wildlife, Vladimir enjoys a day at the park!

19 juin 2007, Vladimir Gilg commence sa 5éme saison dans l’Arctique. Pendant que les parents explorent les alentours pour trouver des traces de mouettes ivoire et d’autres (rares) éléments de faune et flore, Vladimir passe sa journée dans le parc !