We are a FAMILY THAT TRAVELS the world. Rémi, 6, turned 1 in Thailand and learnt to walk in Finland. Bahia, 2, was born in central Italy (where she ‘saw’ her first wild wolves) and celebrated her first birthday in New Zealand.
I’ve chosen to continue as a National Geographic photographer while also having a family and being a father. Stéphanie has been with me throughout my journeys around the world, and now our children accompany us, too.
We don’t make short trips but live for many months in the places where we work. It might appear difficult (and sometimes it is) but it works well. NATURE AND TRAVEL are the best SCHOOLS I know.
Between 2019 and 2021 we will spend more than a year (up to 24 months, depending on the material gathered) in Longyearbyen, the main town in the Svalbard archipelago and the most northerly urban settlement in the world. The objective? To COMMUNICATE the reality of CLIMATE CHANGE through the direct testimony and experiences of our family, to reach hearts as well as minds.
We want to tell the story of what’s happening in the Arctic by taking our children to the places where climate change is manifesting itself more quickly than in any other place on the planet.
We believe that our Arctic adventure can gain significant visibility in the media, give rise to reflection and, with IMMEDIACY and EMPATHY, make the case for the URGENT NEED FOR ACTION. We want to contribute, as a family, to the call for change.
The objective of this project is to render the concept of climate change more immediate and accessible. We want to present the FACTS ACCURATELY but, most importantly, MOVINGLY AND INSPIRATIONALLY, as suggested by several cognitive studies, in a way that reaches people’s hearts and links climate change to their own lives; motivating politicians and society toward behaviour and choices that result in real change and urgent action.
WHY SVALBARD?
THE ARCTIC IS WARMING ever more rapidly. In particular, the northern Barents Sea is experiencing the fastest temperature rises inside the Arctic Circle, as well as the most rapid reduction in sea ice. It has been observed that this area is undergoing a change from an Arctic to an Atlantic climate.
Svalbard, bordering the Barents Sea, HOLDS A NEGATIVE WORLD RECORD: climate change there is happening more quickly than in any other region. Records reveal that July 2019 was the 104th consecutive with a higher than average monthly temperature.
A study commissioned by the Norwegian Environment Agency has recently documented that, in the past 50 years, the TEMPERATURE IN SVALBARD HAS INCREASED BY 5,6°C; while the global increase in the planet’s temperature has been 0.87°C (graphic).
The rapid rate of climate change will have profound and long-lasting effects on the delicate Arctic ecosystem. Numerous studies have shown how it is already having a SIGNIFICANT IMPACT ON SVALBARD’S VEGETATION and on a large part of its resident FAUNA, as well as on certain migratory species. According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), a 30% decline in polar bears is possible by 2050 as a result of sea-ice loss.
OUR PARTNERS
Supported by
BECOME A PARTNER!
Supporting the project of Stefano Unterthiner and his family signifies PARTICIPATING IN THIS AMBITIOUS STORY of climate change, sharing in the vision, the commitment and the media visibility. This long and large-scale expedition on the edge of the world involves significant costs. If you also believe in the need to act and rouse people’s conscience in order to change habits and protect the environment and climate of our planet, PLEASE SUPPORT our project. Thank you.
For further details and the possibility to collaborate, please contact: info@stefanounterthiner.com
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