Archive for the ‘Advocacy’ Category

New findings: West Antarctic Ice Sheet is inherently vulnerable to change and creates “unstoppable” ocean rise.

This report on NASA’s new study, led by glaciologist Eric Rignot at NASA’s JPL and the  of UC Irvine, points to dramatic and “unstoppable” melting and contribution of the West Antarctica ice sheet to ocean levels. The gist is that the grounding line–the point at which ice and ocean meet below the waterline–is receding as it erodes the ice below the surface with warm water, essentially transforming glacial ice mass into ice shelves.

This finding, which represents decades of research from NASA, points to ice valleys around the Pine island glacier in West Antarctica among six others in the Amundsen Sea region which are below sea level for hundreds of kilometers inland. This sets a positive feedback of receding grounding line for that entire regions for six similar glaciers. With no hill below the ice to slow or stop the water from eroding the ice, there is no way of effectively stop the melting of the Antarctica ice over the next couple of centuries, which alone will contribute to four feet of global ocean rise.

To further this dramatic finding, the positive loop on other regions of the world such as the East Antarctic ice or the Greenland ice sheet will affect the configuration of other ice shelves further increasing ocean rise over the coming century.

The full recorded report including media questions can be heard here.

A digest of those findings can be read here.

“Unstoppable” ice melt from West Antarctica leads to unavoidable and dramatic rise of ocean levels.

SEBASTIAN RETURNS TO THE ANNENBERG SPACE FOR PHOTOGRAPHY FOR INTO THE COLD

On May 8th, The Annenberg Space for Photography in Los Angeles screened Sebastian’s North Pole epic documentary about his 2009 mission. The screening, a part of the Annenberg’s Iris Nights,  played to a sold out audience at the Skylight studio. The screening was followed by a Q&A and was reported in this article posted by Liz Kelly for Examiner.com. This was Sebastian’s second presentation at the Annenberg this year. In February, a full presentation of his photographic and advocacy work in the polar regions was attended also by a sold out audience, and can be viewed here.

Sebastian’s Q&A at the Annenberg Space for Photography on May 8, 2014

Today is World Awareness Penguin Day.

Gentoo Penguins near the Gerlach Strait, Antarctica Peninsula 2006.

Michael Kurcfeld profiled Sebastian for the latest LA Review of Books (March 2014). The interview was conducted during Sebastian’s solo Antarctica: A Million Faces Of Ice at the Munich Bernheimer Gallery last year. The profile also features a filmed segment which can be seen here.

“Following in the footsteps of Herbert Ponting and Frank Hurley, Sebastian Copeland ventures into the blinding white expanses of both poles, often for weeks at a time, to seek out the wild sculpted beauty of places no human has seen before.” Michael Kurcfeld — LA Review of Books

Big New For Whales in the Southern Seas

Following the International Court of Justice’s ruling, Japan has officially cancelled all plans to hunt whales in the Southern Ocean in 2014. This will be the first year since 1904 that no whales will be hunted in Antarctic waters.

Continuing a long term relationship with Napapijri, Sebastian is the brand’s official ambassador. Napapijri has supported Sebastian’s polar missions since 2005. “I am proud to be associated with Napapijri”, Sebastian says. “We have been on the trail together for a while now, and share a common philosophy of outdoor enthusiasm and care for our planet. Napa has been with me on the ice in the worst of conditions. And in the city in moderate climes! I wear it everyday for its design, durability and cool factor. This is good stuff. Enough said!”

You can find Sebastian’s profile on the Napapijri site here.

Sebastian Speaks At The Iris Night Lecture Series

As part of the National Geographic lecture series, Sebastian was invited to speak at the prestigious Annenberg Space for Photography on February 20, 2014. From Pole to Pole: The Longest Journey recounts being attacked by polar bears; reaching both poles on foot; photographing in sub-zero temperatures; and what the loss of  ice means in the context of a warming planet. The lecture sold out but was filmed and can be streamed here.

This winter, the magazine Coco Eco published a feature called “Leaders from the Heart” honoring “a few good men for their dedication to causes greater than the self”. Sebastian was featured as one of the magazine’s Men Of The Year 2013, next to Paul Watson, Bobby Kennedy and Danny Glover.

You can find the article here:

Sebastian speaks in Venice for Herbalife EMEA about goal setting, health, conviction and perseverance! Merry Christmas everyone!

Check out this interactive map showing coastal erosion from melting ice, potentially displacing up to 80% of the world’s population. This is not a science fiction plot. It represents the ocean rise from melting ice, sitting above land, slowly re-drawing our world map. On average, 100 feet of coastal ground is lost to each foot of ocean rise.