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Parliamentarians welcome International Polar Year

20 April 2007

Government Ministers and MPs along with representatives from industries and other nations with an interest in the polar regions, gathered on Wednesday (18 April) to hear about the extensive array of science being carried out during International Polar Year (IPY).

At an event held in the Houses of Parliament, some of the UK's top scientists spoke about the importance of the polar regions, and why it's crucial to carry out research in these most inhospitable environments.

Photograph: Malcolm Wicks, Minister for Science and Innovation, gives an entertaining speech about IPY.

Professor Lloyd Peck from the British Antarctic Survey, said, "Polar regions have some of the world's simplest and possibly most fragile ecosystems."

He described some of the unique species found at the poles, such as sea spiders of over 40cm in length, penguins, the great whales and, perhaps most at risk from climate changes, polar bears.

Professor Julian Dowdeswell from the Scott Polar Research Institute, spoke about the dynamics of glaciers and ice sheets and, as they change, their effects on the polar environments. He said, "Continued monitoring of the Antarctic and Greenland ice sheets, together with the large glaciers and ice caps of the Arctic, is essential to our understanding of their contribution to global sea-level rise."

Malcolm Wicks, Minister for Science & Innovation, has recently visited Antarctica, so has witnessed some of the environmental issues at first hand. He told guests at the parliamentary event that we need effective strategies to both mitigate and adapt to the effects of climate change. He said that to devise such strategies we need accurate predictions, and the polar regions play a vital role in providing information to tackle uncertainty. IPY is taking place at a critical time and will make an invaluable contribution to polar research.

Launched in March this year, International Polar Year is the largest coordinated international scientific effort for 50 years. It involves the expertise and skills of about 50,000 people in 63 nations, carrying out around 200 projects to help us understand what is happening at the poles.

Also at the event were displays about the polar regions, sub-zero temperature clothing modelled by Tracey, a mannequin 'employed' by the British Antarctic Survey (background, right), a penguin, and the 'Magic Planet' - a visually stimulating spinning globe which shows various climate scenarios, the movement and direction of ocean currents and the tracking of hurricanes as they form and move around.

The event was organised by the Parliamentary Office of Science & Technology in collaboration with the Natural Environment Research Council, with Science magazine sponsoring the refreshments.

Further information

NERC Press Office
Natural Environment Research Council
Polaris House, North Star Avenue
Swindon, SN2 1EU
Tel: 01793 411561
Mob: 07917 557215

Briefing note: 8/07

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