United Nations Days & Years Meditation Initiative
2007: International Polar Year
2007 is being observed by the World meteorological Organisation and the International Council for Science as International Polar Year; by the UN Office of OUter Space Affairs as International Heliophysical Year; and by the UN Environment Programme (Convention on Migratory Species) as Year of the Dolphin.
Individuals and groups can help to make these Years much more effective through meditation and prayer. Click here for a meditation in support of the International Heliophysical Year.
Large Scientific Programme
International Polar Year is a large scientific programme exploring the Arctic and Antarctic regions. Covering two full cycles (all seasons) in both poles the Year will run from March 2007 to March 2009. IPY will involve over 200 projects, with thousands of scientists from over 60 nations examining a wide range of physical, biological and social research topics.
Closely Linked with Climate Change
The Polar Regions are remote areas of the Earth that have profound significance for the Earth's climate and ultimately environments, ecosystems and human society. However we still remain remarkably ignorant of many aspects of how polar climate operates and its interaction with polar environments, ecosystems and societies. To have any hope of understanding the current global climate and what might happen in future the science community needs a better picture of conditions at the poles and how they interact with and influence the oceans, atmosphere and land masses.
Wilderness of Snow and ice
The polar regions are perhaps the most remote, wilderness areas of the planet. For much of the area there is virtually no human presence. Yet these regions of snow and ice are becoming increasingly significant areas of the planet in human consciousness because of the role they play in climate change.
IPY occurs amidst abundant evidence of changes in snow and ice: reductions in extent and mass of glaciers and ice sheets, reductions in area, timing, and duration of snow cover, and reductions in extent and thickness of sea ice. Changes in snow cover and sea ice have immediate local consequences for terrestrial and marine ecosystems. Permafrost, an additional form of ice that influences nearly 25% of the northern hemisphere landmass, also shows substantial decomposition due to warming climate. Permafrost degradation affects local ecology and hydrology as well as coastal and soil stability.
Changes in the large ice sheets will impact global sea level, affecting coastal cities and low-lying areas. Changes in snowfall and shrinkage of glaciers will influence millions of people whose daily use of water for personal consumption or for agriculture depends on snowpack and glacial sources. Thermal degradation of permafrost will mobilize vast reserves of frozen carbon, some of which, as methane, will increase the global greenhouse effect. Changes in sea ice combined with enhanced river inputs of freshwater will lead to substantial changes in ocean circulation. Warming of polar oceans, coupled with changes in ice coverage and river run-off, will alter marine ecosystems with consequences for globally-significant fisheries.
IPY reflects a growing interest in these relatively unexplored regions
Check out these resources:
- International Polar Year
- UNEP Statement on the Year
- Global Outlook for Ice and Snow
- Artists and Writers in Antartica
