EEA takes on the ‘Siku Extreme Arctic Challenge’

From the start line in the town of Tasiilaq, on the island of Ammassalik, the teams will participate in mountain biking, mountain trekking, glacier trekking and ice fjord paddling. The two EEA teams are made up of four staff members each and include EEA Executive Director, Prof. Jacqueline McGlade.

“The SEAC is both a physical challenge for the individual, a learning experience and at the same time a backdrop we can use for our professional communication about environmental issues” said Peder Jensen, captain of one of the teams said. “Climate change is already impacting on Greenland and we will have an opportunity to see how the local Iinuit people are adapting to a problem that will affect all of us,” he continued.

Indeed the SEAC itself is a sign of the changes taking place on Greenland. The event aims to involve the local population in sustainable tourism sector in the region.

“The challenges the Inuit of Ammassalik island face today are in many ways equal to the challenges the rest of the world will have to face tomorrow. They are one of the first populations to experience the consequences of global warming but they are adapting as they have for thousands of years to the challenges nature puts before them,” said Anders Stenbakken, SEAC Race Director.

For more information, visit the Siku Extreme Arctic Challenge website.