Catlin Arctic Survey Homecoming Party - In the midst of all our money-making busyness let’s not forget Climate Change

Last week I attended the Finale Party of the Catlin Arctic Survey. The expedition was a true demonstration of tremendous human endeavour. Our congratulations go to the whole team; they are remarkable people with resilience, heart and team spirit. The results they have collected will be fed through to Copenhagen later this year. But early indications are the polar ice cap is of course thinner than expected (no surprise there really) – less than 2 metres in many places.

Anne, Martin and Pen are still recovering physically and mentally from their expedition – you can actually see and hear the physical toll it has taken on them. They are to be congratulated – sound bites from their speech last night resonated with us and give us a brief check on our daily lives - whilst on the ice the spirituality of their surroundings, the voices, sounds and ice breathing momentum was humbling and comforting.

We are incredibly lucky as a generation. I remember one morning as we watched breakfast TV from bed under a Tog 24 duvet in a centrally heated bedroom drinking tea we saw Martin squeeze his frost bitten toes into icy boots. Anyone who has over-skied on holiday and given themselves blisters will remember how painful it is to squeeze your feet into badly fitted ski hire boots on day three. Now replay that with frost bitten toes, having to sleep out in temperatures of -40 degrees and a 12 hour slogs across fractured ice ahead of you for weeks at a time.

Small acts of human kindness, such as saving your daily ration of chocolate for two days for your colleague who you can see is in deep crisis, mean the world. That chocolate was saved by Martin for Pen (not Ann – in case you were wondering about the female aspect of this trip - Girl Power!).

This project’s media exposure gave 1.6bn the opportunity to see what we are up against. We are a generation that can spread influence of our activities and make things happen if we choose to work together. We will see at Copenhagen if this is possible. I’ve no doubt the work this team have achieved will influence global resolutions on Greenhouse Gas emission regulations.

So we wait with baited breath on the next Catlin project which will no doubt expand the boundaries of climate change science again. Send in your ideas if you have any, we’ll feed them through to the team.

By Debby Lloyd
Managing Director, EcoSearch

You can view a gallary of pictures from the Ice Team's pickup.

Leadership For A Sustainable Future

This post is from a consultant placed by Debby Lloyd last year. It is our privilege to place “the best of the best” in the market. They then become the heart of influence on some of the most strategic and complex carbon management programmes in global industry today. Their insight into the challenges faced is unique. We are delighted to give them a platform for their personal views – which let’s face it in consulting can rarely be aired or discussed to maintain that fine line of objectivity on a project. So we cherish their input, give them a platform and respect their anonymity … but we know they welcome hearty debate so do comment!

With climate and sustainability scientists becoming increasingly gloomy, do we need to see more leadership and less haggling over policy detail in order to achieve a sustainable future?
The Climate Safety Report, written by the Public Interest Research Centre and released in November 2008, reviewed research published the IPCC’s report of October 2007 including:  

• 2008 was the year of minimum Arctic summer ice volume—70% below the 1979 volume. It is clear that that Arctic sea ice is disappearing much faster than the IPCC’s end of century prediction. Pen Hadow’s Catlin Survey, advised by EcoSearch and now underway, will provide the detailed data to measure permanent Arctic ice thickness. 
  
• As the Arctic melts, increased warming in surrounding regions will be seen up to 1500 km inland into area of continuous permafrost. This permafrost contains twice as much carbon as previously thought—double the amount currently in the atmosphere. The effect of this warming permafrost is not presently incorporated in any global climate models.
  
• Greenland’s 2007 melt was 60% greater than the next highest year of 1998.
  
• While the IPCC predicted sea level rise of 0.5m to 1.4m by 2100, James Hansen, of NASA, in taking long term feedback mechanisms into account, predicts a rise of 0.5m by 2050.
  

While the UK and the EU have certainly demonstrated leadership over the past years in setting policy and drivers to reduce carbon emissions, changes are implemented slowly, very slowly.
DEFRA recently announced that UK greenhouse gas emissions (2% of global emissions) had fallen by 1.7% from 2006 to 2007 and in total by 21.7% from 1990 to 2007 . Laudable indeed, but the UK Climate Change Committee recently set a 2020 target reduction of 34% or 42% if there is a global deal to cut emissions--almost doubling the average annual reductions the UK have achieved over the past 17 years.

In the EU, there seems to be a tendency to attempt to achieve consensus through endless consultation and in some cases, near-perfect standards and targets. Jonathan Porritt has been decried for raising the issue of population growth as the elephant in the room. Plans for a third runway at Heathrow have been approved. Leadership seems to falter.

Okay, so the UK could try harder, but at least the UK and the EU have been trying for the last 17 years. The Americans have a massive challenge, their greenhouse gas emissions (representing around 20% of global emissions) have risen by 16.7% from 1990 to 2007.  

So far, President Obama seems to be supporting two targets for the USA: cutting U.S. greenhouse gas emissions back to 1990 levels by 2020, and an 80 per cent reduction from 1990 levels by 2050. While the second is in line with the UK’s targets, the first, while ambitious for America (and by the way, matching the annual reductions achieved by the UK over the past 17 years), doesn’t meet the expectations of the rest of a hopeful world placing enormous environmental expectations on the new President. Nonetheless, while the Americans are coming late to the party, watch out, EU. Americans have shown repeatedly throughout history that once they “get” a concept, their focus, drive, pragmatism and energy enables them to leap frog the slow, steady results achieved by others.  

And certainly, Obama has the charisma, persuasiveness and intelligence (in sum, leadership) to cut through the treacle, set ambitious targets and motivate the interests of his country and others to achieve them. Sometimes, it is about simplicity and not being distracted by too much detailed policy.  

And as the Climate Safety Report concludes, we need to convey a hopeful and viable future vision which is coherent and compelling. We need big asks. We must challenge political “realism”. We also must start the tough debates about population control and what sustainable consumption actually looks like. In short, we need leadership to achieve a sustainable future, and we must not be distracted by our short term commercial and political interests—even in tough times.

Image by nick_russill

Green Information Technology Challenges

It was my pleasure to host a "Thought Leader Group" at the Arctic Survey Control offices last Friday. Under the rules of our get together the names of those present are protected to save the innocent but suffice to say they are all experts in their field and trailblazers in their current operational roles. Senior executives from a range of consulting, corporate and IT technology businesses attended to discuss their current challenges and developments.

The location was completely relevant. As you know The Catlin Arctic Survey team will be delivering data on the melting icecap to the UNFCCC later this year.

Our guests are all involved in the delivery and deployment of green initiatives from a wide variety of areas. I think it gave them pause for thought and perhaps a dawning realisation that we really must unplug the “verbiage” and crack on with the solutions. This is extremely difficult in the current climate when most CEOs have survival rather than green on their minds. However, most of our audience knows that energy efficiency is about cost and survival.

We heard comment that the polar icecap could be gone (or at least seasonal) by 2013 – a bit of a wake-up call for many present – many people have weddings, birthdays, anniversaries and even round the world sailing sabbaticals planned. When you hear these kinds of statements it brings the planet’s situation sharply into focus. What would the consequences be of a complete melt by 2020 say? (20 – 40 years was quoted in the recent BBC’s Nature’s Greatest Events by David Attenborough… Hmm, some in the know would challenge that).

So anyway – the climate change consulting arena is busy “strategising” behind the scenes. Meanwhile at the coal face, and clearly from the individuals we met with, there is huge challenge surrounding the MIS (Management Information Statistics) behind energy consumption. There appears to be a real log-jam on technology products in the market that can flex to the different and evolving energy streams (not just oil, gas and electricity). Although some have some exciting cross functional products emerging.

The CIO/CTO Government Green IT Strategy has been released but needs now to be pushed by CIOs and CTOs. There’s still little progress from the C Level suite to hold IT responsible for its housekeeping. Easily sorted – set department and personal targets to aid areas of the company where most need. It’s obvious to me that the IT guys are incredibly able and clued up to assist. IT in general still looks to be suffering the same problems as last year I'm afraid – and that is they are not engaging with Facilities, Finance, CSR etc. I guess it can be argued that they don’t know where they can help and until someone pulls them out of the server cupboard and gets them around the table with the other green project managers – they actually would enjoy the ride … most of them I think anyway!

Worryingly there appears to be no real progress in-house on the Carbon Reduction Programme roll out either. Cue – mad scramble in Q4 of this year.

I know from my market conversations that some organisations, including local authorities and architects (worryingly), have a very short cited “just give me a couple of simple PV units for the roof and the bare minimum to meet the requirements” attitude – cost is again a barrier – perhaps we need some Obama style stimulus.

Utilities businesses (and this is my personal view) are challenged with meeting their major business customers’ needs for “consumption information”. Can they deliver holistic consultancy beyond Usage & Billing platforms? Will this see a swing from the utility mindset to customer focus solutions partnering?

Debby Lloyd
Managing Director, EcoSearch

The Arctic Survey - They're Off!

I was privileged to be present at the send off party for the Catlin Arctic Survey Team. Pen, Anne and Martin leave Heathrow tomorrow for the frozen Arctic Circle. Their coolness in the face of the task ahead of them was something to behold. Pen with his gentle humour is a British explorer to be proud of and an inspirational leader.

Image Copyright Martin Hartley

Anne is the only woman on the 3 person team trekking across the ice. She is an inspiration to many women and she’s in charge of navigation! So, with much guffawing going on in the room by the chaps, she is of course a woman to be respected. No jokes about female voices on sat-nav from here on in!

Martin will be capturing on film the beauty and awe inspiring scenery few of us will ever experience and sharing that with the rest of the world. Although quite how you hold a camera in -30 degrees, and not chop people’s feet off when there is a polar bear eyeing you up for dinner, is a real skill.

Their optimism and light-heartedness probably hid personal anxiety and trepidation. When you look at the hazards they face, hungry polar bears seem to feature heavily, -30 degree temperatures and plain simple danger, you cannot help but feel a little humble that they all seem to take it in their stride.

Their personal “adventure” is the thrust of the news and interviews. They have a Royal Pennant from HRH Prince Charles – the first to be given I believe since Shackleton’s expedition – A measure of the importance this one has. But when you reflect on the undercurrent of what they expect to find the situation is unnerving - no-one is really talking about the implications – from energy security, mass exploration and exploitation not to mention the environmental impact of total melt, wholesale methane release, and mass change on commercial shipping and trading routes etc.

The survey data they collect will not be fully known until later this year, but in your daily lives, spare a thought for them in the freezing conditions as they trek across the frozen wastes in the interests of finding out how our lives will be impacted longer term.

The team behind the characters that have made this expedition possible are passionate, dedicated and many. The “goodwill” of people involved who weren’t able to physically put cash in but have put time and effort has given the expedition momentum. It says a lot about harnessing the collective strength of people who want to make a difference in this world.

If your organisation wishes to sponsor some of the education packs going to schools, do get in touch.

And as a final thought, the last couple of weeks snowy inconvenience looks trifling compared to what they have to face for the next few months. Increasingly disruptive weather patterns look set to become something we will have to endure.

Our thoughts, wishes and luck go with them for a safe journey and homecoming and you can watch their progress at http://www.catlinarcticsurvey.com

Debby Lloyd
Managing Director, EcoSearch

State of the Ice Technology

Phillip Clement and the rest of the EcoSearch team attended an event on Tuesday to meet the Ice Team of the upcoming Catlin Arctic Survey. Phillip takes a trip down memory lane to gives his thoughts on the technology needed for such a vitally important scientific mission.

~*~*~*~

My first proper job after leaving college was with a small and not very well known radio telecommunications company called RACAL (soon to evolve into Vodafone). As a fresh-faced wet behind the ears engineer, but a wannabe Gordon Geckko (Wall Street 1987) I began my career as a mobile telecommunications Account Executive.

As part of the package, along with a shiny brief-case that opened up – James Bond style - into a rather snazzy presenter that aided the complex explanation of a seven cell repeat pattern, followed by the “FAB’s” of mobile communications (that’s features advantages and benefits, for those of you that didn’t attend the rather corny 1980’s school of selling, delivered by an ex-double glazing salesman sporting a pale grey suite and pink socks) and the keys to a Ford Mondeo complete with a hanger in the back for my new, big shouldered Moss Bros suite jacket and screwed unceremoniously to the dashboard was my mobile phone! I’d arrived!

But it got better, much better! When I wasn’t in the car driving in the ‘fast lane’ of the M4 to Newbury (actually it was the middle lane, so that people passing me in the outside lane could see that I was on the phone) I could ‘do lunch’ and in the evenings I would frequent a highly popular wine-bar in Guildford, where I could rub shoulders with other shoulder padded jacket wearing, slick backed haired “dealers”. Only I went one better. I would park the Mondeo somewhere obvious, remove the handset of my car phone from its utilitarian (Russian tank utilitarian) clamp and go to the boot where I would unscrew, unclip, disconnect, slide, pull and twist a metal box from another utilitarian clamp, connect this to the handset that I had removed earlier and then attach a leatherette carry strap – I was now in “portable mode”! When this piece of hi-tech, high fashion was on the bar next to me I was truly a woman magnet and all the guys wanted one too. It’s amazing now that if you even appear to have the slightest bulge in your pocket for a mobile phone then you’re just not with it.

It was at the recent launch of the Catlin Arctic Survey, to which I am proud to say I am an Honorary Advisor, that made me recall those heady Sauvignon Blanc fuelled days of the very early mobile phones and how much we now take for granted without a thought for the technology that we carry around in our pockets. In a piece of equipment that is smaller than a pack of JPS (John Player Specials) I can call anyone, anywhere in the world, from anywhere in the world, e-mail from multiple e-mail addresses, edit documents, watch TV and video, have video conferencing with my team, check my location using GPS, take photographs and send them to people anywhere in the world and book a table at The Ivy!

Immage Copyright Martin Hartley www.martinhartley.com

So, with all this technology at our finger-tips, it becomes really hard for the Arctic Technical Team to impress when they tell us that they will be streaming millions of readings from the North Pole, sending live video from one of the remotest places on Earth and updating progress on a website from the floating sea ice at minus fifty degrees. The task to impress becomes even greater, when we find out that the equipment necessary to achieve this will weigh more than 10 stone and need to be dragged behind one of the Arctic Team on a seven foot sledge! But as an engineer dating from the early days of wireless technology, I can tell you that what the Arctic Technical team have accomplished is a brilliant piece of engineering genius, enabling them to collect and transmit groundbreaking information that will change our thinking on global warming.

My advice is, tune in.

The Ice Team will be setting off on the Arctic Survey in February 2009. You can find their latest Newsletter on the EcoSearch Facebook Page.

Arctic Survey Update

EcoSearch are Honorary Advisors to The Arctic Survey which will gain unprecedented global publicity in early 2009.

Data collected will be assembled for the UNFCCC.

Support includes HRH Prince of Wales & WWF. Since January of this year the core team has been focused on fundraising for Arctic Survey and the project is now officially on the starting blocks and limbering up for the ‘off’ in February.

Image copyright Martin Hartley

Sponsorship Opportunities for corporate organisations are available below

Specialist Surveying Equipment - £40K
Explorers’ Expedition Equipment - £75K
Explorers’ Technical, Physical and Psychological Training - £15K
Pioneering Ice-Penetrating Radar - £130K
Global Public Engagement Website - £100K
Final Ice Trials - £40K
Explorers’ Drop-Off and Pick-Up Flights - £100K
Specialist Air-Drop Resupply Programme - £325K
Science Programme - £75K
Radar Data Processing and Analysis - £50K
Super-Computer Modelling Time - £100K
Scientific Findings Report - £30K
Global Policy Engagement - £100K
Mobile Phone Air Time - £25K (could be given in kind)

For more information:
http://www.catlinarcticsurvey.com/