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From February 1 to 28, 2010, a bronze polar bear skeleton covered in ice and sculpted with the assistance of Inuit sculptors will undertake a lengthy journey to the Olympic Games in Vancouver. The sculpture, which will be created as part of an international arts project, will have accomplished its ultimate mission once its ice covering has melted and reminded everyone of the fragility of life on Earth. These powerful images will lead young people to think about and become more aware of issues like these and will inspire them to change the course of things by becoming personally and collectively committed to fighting climate change! |
Table of Contents
- Introduction
- Terms of the Polar Bear Letters Contest
- Contest for Students in Higher Elementary Grades
- Contest for Students in Secondary Grades
- Fact Sheet 1 – Polar Bear
- Fact Sheet 2 – Inuit Communities Hit by Climate Change
- Fact Sheet 3 – Understanding Climate Change
Introduction
Over the next few months, two major international events will be given unprecedented media coverage:
- The Copenhagen Conference (December 7-18, 2009): where the international community is to reach agreement on greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions reduction to prevent dangerous climate changes.
- The Vancouver Olympic Games (February 12-28, 2010): a strong media moment that will remind everyone of Canada's northern status and of its vulnerability to climate change.
These are excellent opportunities to inform young people and Canada's population, to make them more aware and to mobilize them with respect to the urgency to take action against climate change and its negative impact on northern biodiversity and populations.
In connection with this, the Polar Bears on Vanishing Ice project will provide students in higher elementary and secondary grades with a three-part program of activities:
- The Polar Bear Letters contest to be held from December 1, 2009, to February 28, 2010.
- Sculpture activities to be completed in the schoolyard in connection with the Polar Bear Walk, from February 1 to 28, 2010
- Membership in the Polar Bear Club
Terms of the Polar Bear Letters Contest
The Fondation Monique-Fitz-Back pour l'éducation au développement durable (a foundation for sustainable development education) and the Mouvement des Établissements verts Brundtland (CSQ) have been involved in the process launched by the Fédération des coopératives du Nouveau-Québec and Équiterre by coordinating the Polar Bear Letters contest to foster the commitment of young people and encourage them to take action against climate change.
From December 1, 2009, to February 28, 2010, students will be asked to send a letter to the bear to explain their understanding of climate change issues and ways of addressing them on a personal and family level as well as on the level of society as a whole. In these letters they will also be able to describe their personal commitments to reduce their own energy consumption. These letters and personal commitments by young people will be posted by them on the project Web site and sent to Canadian decision-makers.
Contest Rules
All students in higher elementary and secondary grades will be able to write a letter to the polar bear.
Teachers should familiarize themselves with the terms of the letter writing contest applicable to their own level of teaching (see instructional fact sheets).
Once the activity has been completed, teachers will select the three letters from their class that come closest to meeting the selection criteria. These three letters to the polar bear are to be e-mailed to adm@fondationmf.ca or mailed to Fondation Monique-Fitz-Back, 320, St-Joseph Street East, Office SS035, Québec, Quebec G1K 8G5.
It is important to include the names of the students who wrote the letters on their respective letters, along with the name, address, e-mail address and telephone number of the school.
We would also ask that all young people who wrote a letter send their letter directly to the polar bear. Only one letter per student should be sent. To write to the bear, the students should go to the Polar Bear Club.
Selection Criteria
In addition to the normally applicable marking criteria for written work in terms of quality of language – including vocabulary, spelling, verb conjugation, agreement, syntax and punctuation, not to mention the layout and coherence of the texts, special attention should be paid to the following content:
- Demonstration of an awareness of climate change
- Evidence of a personal commitment to reducing GHG
- Relevance of the recommendations made, where applicable
Number of words required for different grade levels:
- 200 words for grades 5 and 6
- 250 words for grades 7 and 8
- 300 words for grades 9
- 400 words for grades 10
- 500 words for grades 11 and 12
All entries will be reviewed by a selection committee.
Prizes
The jury will award a prize to each of two grand prize winners. Other prizes will be given to 20 finalists whose names will be drawn at random.
To the two grand prizes winners
A three day trip to Nunavik in March or April.
To the schools of the two grand prize winners
A visit by one of the spokespersons for the Polar Bears on Vanishing Ice project: Steven Guilbeault, Équiterre; Jean Lemire, scientific explorer; Julie Payette, astronaut; David Suzuki, leading environmentalist; Geoff Greene, executive director of Students on Ice; David Reid, Far North explorer.
To the 20 Finalists whose names have been drawn
- Inuit tuques and scarves
- Vancouver 2010 Olympic Games Canadian coin sets
Sculptures In The Schoolyard
In conjunction with the Polar Bear Walk from February 1 to 28, 2010, students will be asked to make snow or ice bear sculptures in their schoolyard. For this event, they can invite the community and the media to come and hear their messages about the survival of the polar bear and to inform them of the commitments they plan to make to fight climate change and prevent pollution. We suggest that you film what you are doing, post it on YouTube and don't forget to send us your hyperlink.
The Polar Bear Club
Students will be able to join the Polar Bear Club by sending their letters, photographs and commitments to the Club Web site. The site will provide visitors with lectures, animation, information and concrete ways of doing something personally about climate change. Under the aegis of the Club, a series of events and meetings on the topic of the bear and climate change will be held over a two-year period following the Polar Bear Walk.
Important Dates
- December 4, 2009: contest launch
- December 7 to 18, 2009: Copenhagen conference on climate change, a perfect time to write to the bear!
- February 12: contest deadline
- February 2 to 28, 2010:
- Polar Bear Walk
- Sculptures in the schoolyard
- February 12 to 28, 2010: Vancouver Winter Olympic Games
Available Materials
Materials for the activity are available on the Polar Bear Club site. Included are:
- A proposed activity for students in higher elementary grades
- A proposed activity for students in secondary grades
- Three educational fact sheets:
- Video resources
- Useful Internet links
Contest for Students in Higher Elementary Grades
Activity Summary
After reading the information about the polar bear, students discuss the impact of climate change on the survival of the animal that is the emblem of the North, and on the way of life of Inuit populations and inhabitants of the planet in general. They then send their letter to the bear, telling him about their fears, their hopes and the commitments they intend to make to fight climate change.
Materials
- Fact Sheet 1 – The Polar Bear
- Video, Viewing of one of the following videos may be suggested:
- Videos about the polar bear as a victim of climate change
- A video, with music playing in the background, showing a day in the life of a bear
- Additional Activities:
Activity Structure
Introduction and Initial Perceptions
- Start a discussion with the students about what they know about climate change and its impact on the life of the polar bear and Inuit communities. Take notes during the students' comments.
- Describe to the students the project entitled Polar Bears on Vanishing Ice as well as the Polar Bear Letters contest.
Observing Reality
- Show students one of the suggested videos and gather their comments. What are their feelings about the fate of the polar bear? How do they find it unfair?
- Ask the students to read the information contained in Fact Sheet 1 – The Polar Bear. Ask them to identify the reasons why the animal is threatened, to identify the consequences of climate change on their habitat (which is the same as for the Inuit) and solutions that might enable the bear to meet the climate change challenge.
Analyzing Reality
- Ask students to identify ways their families and themselves can reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
- Gather the students' suggestions.
Transforming Reality
- From the students' suggestions, identify those that are most relevant and easiest to achieve.
- Ask each student to choose one way to fight climate change that they intend to act upon during the period prior to the opening of the Vancouver Olympic Games.
- Ask students to read the rules of the Polar Bear Letters contest.
- Help the students with their writing, making sure that they follow instructions and criteria properly.
- Gather the letters and send the best three to the address indicated.
- Ask each student to enrol in the Polar Bear Club, to send their letters, to make their personal commitments and to keep track of the long Polar Bear Walk until the opening of the Vancouver Olympic Games.
Contest for Students in Secondary Grades
Activity Summary
After reading the information about the polar bear, life in Nunavik and climate change, students discuss the impact of these changes on the survival of the animal that is the emblem of the North, and on the way of life of Inuit populations and inhabitants of the planet in general. They then identify actions that their families and themselves can do to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. They make recommendations on climate change to the governments who will gather at the Copenhagen Conference or elsewhere. They then send a letter to the bear, telling him about their fears, their hopes and the personal commitments they intend to make to fight climate change.
Materials
- Fact Sheet 1 – The Polar Bear
- Fact Sheet 2 – Inuit Communities Hit by Climate Change
- Fact Sheet 3 – Understanding Climate Change
- Videos – viewing of one of the following videos may be suggested:
- Videos about the polar bear as a victim of climate change
- A video, with music playing in the background, showing a day in the life of a bear
N.B. Interested teachers may view an interview with Sheila Watt-Cloutier, an Inuit chief and activist who was a candidate for the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize
Activity Structure
Introduction and Initial Perceptions
- Start a discussion with the students about what they know about climate change and its impact on the life of the polar bear and Inuit communities. Take notes during the students' comments.
- Describe to the students the project entitled Polar Bears on Vanishing Ice as well as the Polar Bear Letters contest.
Observing Reality
- Show students one of the suggested videos and gather their comments. What are their feelings about the fate of the polar bear? How do they find it unfair?
- Ask the students to read the information contained in Fact Sheet 1 – The Polar Bear. Ask them to identify the reasons why the animal is threatened, the consequences of climate change on its habitat (which is the same as for the Inuit) and solutions that might enable the bear to meet the climate change challenge.
- Ask the students to read the information in Fact Sheet 2. Start a discussion on possible links between the fate of the polar bear and that of human populations that share the polar bear's environment.
Analyzing Reality
Ask students to read the information contained in Fact Sheet 3 – Understanding Climate Change. Ask them:
- to make recommendations to be sent to the governments at the Copenhagen World Conference on climate change.
- identify ways that their families and themselves can reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
- Gather the students' suggestions.
Transforming Reality
- From the students' suggestions, identify those that are most relevant and easiest to achieve.
- Ask each student to choose one way to fight climate change that they intend to act upon during the period prior to the opening of the Vancouver Olympic Games.
- Ask students to read the rules of the Polar Bear Letters contest.
- Help the students with their writing, making sure that they follow instructions and criteria properly.
- Gather the letters and send the best three to the address indicated.
- Ask each student to enrol in the Polar Bear Club, to send their letters, to make their personal commitments and to keep track of the long Polar Bear Walk until the opening of the Vancouver Olympic Games.
Fact Sheet 1 – Polar Bear
For centuries, the polar bear (Ursus maritimus) has been the undisputed master of the Arctic. Many Inuit tales recount a hunter's heroic battle against his prey, a three-metres long mastodon with claws as sharp as knives, that weighs between 500 and 1,000 kilos. Polar bears, which are ideally suited to life on land and in the water, are experienced hunters. Their hunting territory is pack ice. Their sense of smell, which is even more acute than in dogs, helps them find their prey. They can smell an animal several kilometres away, and even find seals, their preferred food, hidden under the ice. Their white fur serves as camouflage and protects them from the cold water. Their black skin retains heat. The thick covering of subcutaneous fat enables them to cope with the intense cold and to go for months without food.
The female, only half the size of the male, gives birth every three years. After hibernating in her den, the female gives birth to one to three cubs that she nurses for more than two years. The cubs only leave their den at the age of three or four months. The mother teaches them everything that a polar bear needs to know to survive: hunting, finding a den, protecting their territory. At the age of three, the cubs will finally leave their mother for a solitary life that will last between 25 and 30 years. Throughout their lives, they will cover an immense area, seeking food as the ice advances and recedes.
For a long time, polar bears were hunted, whether by Inuit who traditionally considered them a choice food, or by trophy hunters, happy to have vanquished one of the strongest and most dangerous animals on earth. But hunting is not the main threat they now face. For about 50 years, they have been mainly victims of pollution. The smokestacks of factories to the South belch out clouds of pollutants that are carried by the wind northward. These pollutants settle on land and in the sea, and contaminate both. They are ingested by small marine organisms that retain many of the harmful pollutants in their bodies. Fish eat these organisms in turn. Seals, which are great fish eaters, accumulate even more toxins. At the top of this food chain, the polar bear ends up consuming all of the contaminants in the seals they eat. Weakened as a result, many die of illnesses.
Today, the polar bear population is estimated to be approximately 25,000 around the North Pole. About two thirds of them live in the Canadian Arctic, with the rest in Alaska (United States), Greenland (Denmark), Norway and Russia. In 1973, these countries signed in Oslo the Agreement on the Conservation of Polar Bears to protect this emblem of the North. This agreement was essential because of the threats to the polar bear from the invasion of their habitat by humans, illegal hunting and toxins in their food supply.
Today, there is a completely new threat, one that is even more serious than everything they have experienced to date, and this gives rise to fears about their disappearance: climate change. Fossil fuels (gas, oil, heating oil) used to keep our vehicles running, heat our homes or provide energy for the factories that produce the things we consume, generate greenhouse gases that escape into the atmosphere. The climate is heating up. The rising temperature of the air and oceans has led to the increased melting of the ice on which polar bears live.
The gradual disappearance of sea ice, the polar bear's natural habitat, is a medium- and long-term threat to the survival of the species. In 50 years, the average winter temperature in the Canadian Arctic has risen by three to four degrees Celsius. The seawater has also warmed up. Today, the ice melts earlier in the spring and freezes later in the fall, leaving the polar bear less time to feed. The bears lose weight, and hence energy, along with some of the fat that protect them from the cold. This makes them more vulnerable. In the fall, they need to swim farther to leave the land behind to get to the sea ice, which requires more energy. Unfortunately, many become exhausted and drown. Estimates today indicate that the average weight of polar bears in Hudson Bay, one of the northern areas that has been most affected, is between 15% and 20% lower than it was 20 years ago.
The polar bear's future is in doubt. If nothing is done to counter the impacts of climate change and if predictions concerning the melting of the sea ice prove to be accurate, the survival of the species is definitely at risk. The same is true of the lifestyle of the Inuit who live in the region. In the end, climate change will likely affect us all. What we do to reduce greenhouse gases and pollution may mean the difference between the survival and disappearance of the polar bear, and indeed our own future.
Fact Sheet 2 – Inuit Communities Hit by Climate Change
The Arctic Ocean is the ocean that is most affected by the ice cap melting due to global warming. And "without ice, there is no food for the bears". This statement from an Inuit hunter clearly reflects the impacts of climate change on almost all aspects of life in Nunavik. Nunavik, which means "place to live", is located in the Arctic region of Quebec. Already, hunting and fishing activities are jeopardized by the melting of the pack ice and the changes in the migration patterns of caribous herds. This results in dramatic changes in traditional ways of living and food habits of the Inuit who rely increasingly on imported food from the South. The melting permafrost also weakens the structure of dwellings and makes travelling very difficult. All these changes are likely to result in an increasing number of social and health issues.
Climate Change and Ground
In Nunavik, the ground never thaws deeper down. This ground that is always frozen is called permafrost. With global warming, the ice contained in the ground melts and water starts running off, creating underground cavities that eventually collapse and thus render the ground very unstable. There is fear for the stability of houses, roads and infrastructures in general. Already, in the Northwest Territories, thaw has accelerated the erosion of the peninsula on which sits the village of Tuktoyaktuk that could ultimately disappear. Consequently, travelling and hunting are much more difficult, reducing the local portion of food consumed by Inuit. Thaw of the permafrost is also likely to reintroduce in the environment contaminants, such as mercury, that threaten the health of ecosystems, polar bears and Inuit and to release in the atmosphere the carbon and methane that have been trapped for centuries – a new threat to climate change.
Climate Change and air Pollution
One could think that Nunavik is one of the regions least affected by air pollution. Yet, Inuit are suffering from its consequences. Industrial chemicals called persistent organic pollutants (POP) are carried by the wind from southern industrial centers before being deposited in water or on vegetation in sufficient quantities to be considered harmful. They are called persistent because they resist breakdown overtime, are toxic in very small quantities and can accumulate in the food chain (bioaccumulation). They turn up in the flesh of fish and land or sea mammals such as polar bears, whales and seals, which are Inuit traditional foods. With their potential carcinogenic effects and impact on the nervous, immune, reproductive and endocrine systems, POPs are coming out of the same smokestacks as the ones that are responsible for climate change.
Climate Change, Water and Food
Nunavik's vast stretches of fresh water are subject to contamination by air pollutants from the South, local pollution and bird and mammal migrations. Inuit can be vulnerable to the risks associated with water-borne diseases, including gastroenteritis. Environmental changes have had the effect of reducing considerably the quantity of food that comes from hunting and fishing. In 2004, a study showed that one out of four Inuit did not have enough food during the month before the study. Today, most of the food consumed comes from the South, including approximately half of the meat. Families, which are often large, must spend nearly 40% of their budget on food. Groceries easily cost one and a half times to twice as much as in the South, even if the average family income is well below that of Quebecers living in the South.
Taking up the Challenge of Climate Change
All areas of the world are affected by climate change to varying degrees. What is threatening the survival of the polar bear and the way of life of Nunavik's Inuit may soon affect us all. If the province of Quebec has the financial and technical resources necessary to adapt to climate change, it is not so for Northern communities and people living in developing countries. Being more rapidly affected by climate change, Inuit are in a position to provide vital information to the scientists that study climatic history. Their individual and community efforts make them the true pioneers of the fight against and adaptation to climate change. More than ever, they deserve to be fully supported in their efforts. However, the solutions that they will find will not carry much weight if the world nations, especially the most wealthy ones, are not changing their lifestyles.
Fact Sheet 3 – Understanding Climate Change
Have we disrupted the climate?
All recent observations and climate forecasting models have confirmed that global warming is real. The ten hottest years since 1850, when the Industrial Revolution began, have all been recorded since 1997. There is conclusive evidence of the impact of climate change, including an average global temperature rise of approximately 0.74ْ°C over the past century. The more the atmosphere is affected by greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from fossil fuels and our mismanagement of the land, the more it becomes confused. The end result is climate variations that have already affected the whole planet and that will have significant repercussions. If current trends continue, temperatures will probably increase by 2 to 2.5°C by 2100, exposing living beings like the polar bear and humans to the greatest challenge in their history.
Can we blame the greenhouse effect?
It is impossible to understand climate change without linking it to the greenhouse effect, which enables the surface of the Earth to absorb some solar rays. GHG in the atmosphere (carbon dioxide, methane, etc.) prevents some of these rays from being reflected back out to space. This leads to the absorption of energy and an increase in heat. Most of these gases, which are present in a natural state, have made life on Earth possible. The average temperature on Earth is 15°C. Without the natural greenhouse effect, it would be -18°C. Since 1850, concentrations of GHG have been increasing steadily. Why? Because of the massive use by humans of fossil fuels for industrial, residential and transportation needs, combined with deforestation, agricultural practices, livestock production and the frantic consumption of goods and services. We have been producing more GHG than the planet can absorb. At the moment, the countries of the North consume more than 80% of the Earth's energy resources, while climate changes affect all inhabitants of the planet. The regions of the world that are likely to be most hard hit are the Arctic regions and the developing countries, because they do not have the financial and technical means to adapt to the new reality.
What are the consequences of climate change?
Changes in climate have already had major impacts on the Earth's fragile balance. We have been experiencing the melting of the ice caps, glaciers and the permafrost, which has been threatening the northern ecosystem, home to the polar bear and the Inuit communities that live there. We have observed changes in precipitation and ocean currents, as well as an increase in the frequency and intensity of heat waves, storms, floods and drought in some regions. Climate change has been affecting natural resources, the water cycle and the health of ecosystems that populations depend on for their livelihood. In the areas that have been the most seriously affected, mainly in developing countries, these climate events have forced populations to leave their homeland to seek other places to live. They settle in areas that are often already vulnerable and, when thay are added to the existing populations, exert additional pressures on natural resources and further degrade the environment. In the end, these climate refugees are doomed to exile once again. Climate changes have been accentuating global inequities by undermining everyone's right to live in dignity, in health and in a healthy environment.
Will we be able to act?
Only the human species can understand the mechanisms, causes and perceived consequences of climate change. We already have a wide range of ways to radically reduce GHG emissions. These measures, which are not very onerous compared to the funds spent on world economic production, would enhance energy security and reduce the impact of atmospheric pollution. These measures – technologies (green energy, carbon capture and storage), management measures (changing agricultural and forestry practices, transportation, urban design), policy tools (regulation, taxation) and behavioural changes (consumer choices) – need to be introduced rapidly.
Do governments have the political will to make economies greener? As individuals, will we be able to question our lifestyle and how we live on Earth? Everyone's future depends on our answers to these questions. The conclusions and commitments of the various countries at the December 2009 Copenhagen conference will be decisive. Unfortunately for our planet and for us, the level of determination shown by our leaders does not appear to be commensurate with what is needed to address the current situation.