Greenpeace has partnered with a group of musicians to record an ice concert in the far north of the Arctic. They played a piece called ‘Ocean Memories’ on instruments carved from ice collected in Arctic waters.
With temperatures below -12 degrees celsius, the rhythms of chimes, horns, ice percussion and a cello blended together to send a message for the need to protect at least 30% of our global oceans by 2030. The performance took place on 2 May and the video is released today.
“You have to treat ice with respect, otherwise it breaks. We should do the same with nature”, said Terje Isungset, the lead musician on the three minute performance composed exclusively for the occasion.
“By putting the spotlight on the Arctic ocean and ice loss, we want to emphasise the immediate need for ocean sanctuaries not only for the north pole, but for the entire planet,” said Halvard Raavand, oceans campaigner from Greenpeace Nordic. “Over the next year, governments are negotiating at the United Nations towards a Global Ocean Treaty that could pave the way for the creation of a network of ocean sanctuaries.”
He continued, “This is a unique opportunity for governments to work together and create healthy oceans that are our best ally against a changing climate. The science is clear: our oceans are in crisis. All we need is the political will to protect them.”
The Arctic is this year suffering from a record breaking ice loss and in April this year, the average temperature was 8 degrees above normal. To highlight the many threats facing the oceans and to campaign for a Global Ocean Treaty covering all seas outside of national waters, Greenpeace is in the Arctic on its most ambitious expedition ever: an almost year long Pole to Pole voyage. In this first leg, Greenpeace’s ships the Esperanza and Arctic Sunrise have travelled to the northern ice edge to shine a light on the enormous threat posed by climate change, overfishing and plastic pollution to the Arctic ocean.
