Blog

Today we notified Mark of new climate research, which demonstrates a detailed record of past climate change. This research explores ice core records back to the last ice age and scientists believe that it was ended by a rise in temperature, driven by an increase in atmospheric carbon dioxide. Mark’s expedition has already been in jeopardy due to rising temperatures, creating unstable conditions in the Canadian Arctic. His journey to the North Pole will begin any day now, and we all wish him the best of luck on his travels.

I thought this disclaimer was worth putting out there. Basically it’s everything I know I’m getting into on the expedition but to put it into ink is funny.

I signed it by the way!

Since Mark set out to Antarctica, back in November 2011, he has been raising donations – not in cash, but in carbon emission pledges through The DoNation.

Mark is attempting to raise 100,000 kg worth of carbon emission pledges, in order to raise awareness about climate change and also to inspire people to do something for themselves. According to uswitch.com, the average, standard household energy bill in the UK is £1239 a year, and with the price of gas, oil and coal rising as reserves deplete, it’s only going to get more expensive.

Yet there are so many things you can do to help reduce the cost of you bills! All of which you can pledge with The DoNation and not only help Mark but also help reduce your homes running costs.

 

- Save water: Turning off the tap while brushing your teeth, not over filling the kettle, shorter showers, rainwater harvesting, etc… it’s really not that difficult and there are free water saving packs from water companies, such as Severn Trent Water, which are designed to make lifestyle changes easier.

-  Save Electricity: We all know about the humble standby button, along with that little red LED in the corner of the room. Many energy companies now offer power down plugs, which means if you’re not fully convinced about turning absolutely everything off at the wall, then the plug will do it for you! Also, did you know that leaving a computer on all night uses the same amount of electricity as microwaving 8 frozen dinners? Just a few small changes around the house can make all the difference.

- Save Heat: Do you know if your house is correctly insulated? Have any of your friends of family had cavity wall installed? There are plenty of methods that you can speak to your energy provider about, some of them are even free! Sometimes, it is even as simple as turning off the heating during the summer and turning down the heating a couple of degrees in the winter and having a few extra blankets around the house. You would be surprised at the savings!

 

As Mark will soon be throwing himself into sub-zero temperatures one again, we look forward to his successful return and his future exploits! Climate Change Solutions Ltd is organising an event within the Sustainabilitylive! Exhibition, May 23rd 2012, at the NEC in Birmingham. The focus is on Smart Low Carbon Cities, Communities and Infrastructure and will be hosting speakers and delegates from all areas of the energy and housing sector. Mark will be attending the events celebration/reception at 16:30 in the main Sustainabilitylive! Exhibition Hall, talking about his experiences and his education programme “My Life in a Freezer”. All attendees from the conference will be welcome and exhibitors from Sustainabilitylive! also.  We shall be encouraging our guests and their contacts to make their own pledges before and at the conference, in order to assist Mark in achieving his target!

 

This weekend marked the 5th year of Earth Hour.

On Saturday night, as Mark was training in Svalbard for the North Pole, hundreds of countries around the world turned off their lights for 1 rolling hour.

The Guardian wrote an article about the event, released Friday 30th March, emphasising the international impact that one night in Sydney, Australia back in 2007, has inspired millions to take action. The planet shared one united moment, which stretched all the way into space – as astronauts watched the lights go out from the Intentional Space Station.

Just as Mark is taking on the North South Solo Expedition, travelling to some of the most hostile conditions on the planet, in order to highlight the impacts of Climate Change, there are millions of people out there who want to promote change.

 

 

It’s Monday 2nd April and Mark is in Longyearbyen, Svalbard, awaiting his flight out to Ice Station Barneo, situated 120 miles from the North Pole.

Here in the UK, Climate Change Solutions Ltd has just completed it’s annual Smart Hydrogen & Fuel Cell Power conference, Thursday 29th March at NEC, Birmingham.
Over 220 delegates attended and contributed to the conference, helping to share knowledge and research on Hydrogen Fuel Cell development.

Today, we notified Mark of the latest Climate Change news from the UK.
This article is from yesterdays paper (1st April), The Observer, discussing how the Arctic is far too important to be left unprotected with the current changing climate.

 

Sitting in my tent with my thoughts on heading out on ice again…

Today I fitted a GO PRO – HERO camera to the back of my sledge. I’ll also have one attached to my head so I should get some pretty good shots of heading across the Arctic ocean.

The sledge mounted one is set on tall and the head one is set for a wide angle. I’ve tried them out around Svalbard and they work really well so I’m keen to get them on expedition.

I’ll post the films after the expedition in May 2012.

360 degrees of ice!

“Mark’s great journeys across the ice in Antarctica and now in the Arctic serve to highlight to us the crucial importance of the Poles in the global climate system.  The Arctic especially is already showing the ravages of climate change.

Sea ice may be near its minimum extent for several thousand years and the permafrost is warming.  Although the poles are far away from most of us, the impact on our lives of their melting will be profound.  I look forward to meeting with Mark and talking  about his experiences in these beautiful and fragile regions”.

Dr Stephan Harrison
Associate Professor in Quaternary Science

Dr Stephan Harrison is Associate Professor of Quaternary Science at Exeter University and Director of Climate Change Risk Management (www.ccrm.co.uk).

Previous to this he taught at Oxford University and he is a Senior Research Associate at the Oxford University Centre for the Environment.
Dr Harrison has a PhD in Quaternary Science and over 20 years research experience in landscape responses to climate change. Since 1991 he has worked on glaciers and climate change in Patagonia, the Tien Shan mountains of Kazakhstan and in Norway, Iceland and the Himalaya.

Dr Harrison has published over 100 refereed papers on his research. He advises the UK’s Institute of Actuaries and the Emergency Planning Society on risk management and climate change issues and has recently worked with Lloyd’s insurance market on assessing the nature of future climate change risks.

Mission statement

After a successful solo expedition to the South Pole I am now heading for the final phase of the expedition, the North Geographic Pole.

Since leaving Antarctica the focus of the expedition has had to change, due to factors beyond my control (namely the requirement to provide a substantial rescue bond, up-front, to the specialist airline that operates in the high Arctic region).

The bond requirement effectively ruled-out any chances of a North Pole expedition – either as a starting point or finishing point, from the Canadian side. This limitation shifted my focus to a different arena from which to attempt the North Pole – the Island of Svalbard, in the Norwegian arctic.

The shift to Svalbard brought about some fundamental changes to the expedition, for a start it would be shorter in distance and time on the ice. I’d be transported from Svalbard to a temporary Russian camp, setup on the Arctic sea-ice every year – Ice Station Barneo. From Ice Station Barneo I’d cover the last two degrees of latitude to the North Pole.

Whilst this is a massive compromise on the primary aim of the expedition, it still allows me to (hopefully) effectively serve the other key objectives, including:

The Schools program – My Life in a Freezer, an initiative to connect with schools and educational institutions, bringing my experiences on expedition into the classroom, highlighting the issues faced by the remote parts of the planet, through the use of innovative technologies such as Skype and Ipadio.
As a platform to highlight the effects of climate change. Supported by Grant Thornton, I’ll be calling on one of the luminaries of change research – Dr Stephan Harrison – to augment some of my daily updates with scientific insight into the rapidly changing Arctic environment. Following the expedition, Dr Harrison will join me in the field to extend the climate change aspect of the expedition (he’ll also have the dubious privilege of sharing tent-space with an unwashed explorer!)

I’ll also be calling on the wider public to take individual action on climate change, by pledging support (non-financial!) through DoNation: www.thedonation.org
I’m particularly passionate about both of these areas, so while the past few weeks have been particularly challenging – and frustrating – I’m incredibly happy that the opportunity to contribute to these areas, as well as conduct a solo, unsupported expedition, in one of the most hostile, challenging environments on the planet, is still very much alive and kicking.

As I travel north, my stomach has the familiar butterflies – telling me that the next big adventure is on the horizon. Life teaches us that things don’t always work to plan (which is particularly true in the world of extreme expeditions) but as I step out on to the dynamic and unpredictable Arctic ocean, I hope you’ll join me and draw inspiration from each step I take toward the North Pole – and show your support by taking your own steps toward action and education on climate change.