The Arctic environment, as is well known, is extremely harsh. But at the same time it is equally delicate. Despite the long distances separating the Arctic from the densely populated territories, a huge amount of litter is making its way to this remote area and threats the pristine ecosystem. People might think that the problem is as remote as the Arctic itself. But, in fact, it is urgent more than ever.
Drawing attention to the actual experience of cleaning up the Arctic can really help to inspire people to protect the Arctic environment. And, fortunately, this July was rich with at least a couple of worthy role models.
The first one of them I recently came across was the
initiative of the Association of Arctic Expedition Cruise Operators (AECO) to combat marine pollution by engaging thousands of cruise passengers in cleanups in the Arctic. In Svalbard alone, which is notorious for being polluted with plastic, expedition ships pick up several tons of beach litter each summer. Moreover, I found out that the AECO launched new Arctic cleanup guidelines to motivate people to be part of this important effort.
The other example to mention is the ecological efforts of the Russian Northern Fleet (surprisingly!), which sailed to the New Siberia Islands with the aim to collect tons of scrap metal during the summer and then transport it to the mainland for recycling. Reportedly, by this time last year
the Russians collected about 1100 tons of scrap metal in the Arctic.
Both examples differ from each other, but when it comes to securing the Arctic environment, any kind of help matters. As for me, I find all above mentioned inspiring. What about you?
