Support Raja Karthikeya For The International Antarctic Expedition 2018
Antarctic Great Wall Station, Antarctica
India's climate is changing fast. It's a fact we're trying to live with everyday. Heavy floods, unseasonal rains, unforeseen droughts.2016 saw the hottest day in India's recorded history... And India's losses from climate change amounted to $ 40 billion in 2015. Over 11,000 farmers committed suicide compelled by the impact of climate change in 2016 alone.
Scientists have now established that carbon emissions from our pollution have started to melt the world's last permanent glaciers in Antarctica and the North Polar ice pack. This is changing ocean currents and in turn affecting India - a tropical peninsula with one of the largest coastlines in the world. See picture below.
This campaign's goal is to raise funds for me to be a part of an upcoming expedition to Antarctica .
I've been selected to represent India in the International Expedition to Antarctica in February 2018. With your support, I will come back equipped with data and profound experience which I will use to conduct workshops and talks in schools and colleges about climate change. I will also work with some of the smartest engineers in the domain to come up with solutions to address social, economic and environmental impact of climate change in India.
This year, I've already crossed the Arctic circle off Svalbard island in Norway, to study polar glaciers firsthand. With your support, my expedition to Antarctica will provide an unprecedented opportunity to compare climate change at the two ends of the earth within one year.
Pic: Melting ice and rising moss in Antartica
PIC: On the Antarctic Peninsula, the warming has been far greater—nearly five degrees on average…a Delaware size iceberg just broke off the Larsen C Ice Shelf and smaller ice shelves on the peninsula have long since disintegrated entirely into the waters of the Weddell Sea…They affect the entire planet. - National Geographic
I am a United Nations official with professional experience across five continents. I have a strong record of exploration, volunteerism and advocacy which qualifies me for this expedition:
Iraq - Ahwar marshes. Inter-tribal disputes mediation, 2016
Norway, Svalbard Climate study, 2017
PIC: Andaman & Nicobar Tsunami rescue and Bhuj earthquake rescue
My 2017 to 2018 expeditions will be to Antarctica and the Arctic
I will join the expedition to Antarctica led by Sir Robert Swan, an internationally renowned explorer on his last voyage to the continent. We will leave from Argentina in February 2017 for a three weeks voyage to the Antarctic peninsula – home to the world’s largest glaciers – before returning equipped with a treasure trove of data.
Your support can make this happen!
I need to pay Rs 15,00,000 towards the costs of the expedition (detailed below). I’ve already successfully raised Rs 3,03,580 + Have been promised some sponsorship of value around 5 Lkhs. So, am looking forward to your support for the reminder i.e around 7 LKHS. Every bit of your support counts.
With your support, I hope to use the historic milestone of reaching the two farthest corners of the earth to create and run an awareness campaign about climate change in India’s schools and colleges. I also plan to work with some of the smartest engineers in India to come up with solutions to reduce the socio-economic impact of climate change in India ranging from farmer debt to effects on economic productivity. Together, let’s take a step forward to address the greatest challenges of our generation. Together, let’s make the difference.
Rs 25,000 and more – Special souvenir from the southernmost town in the world, exclusive high-quality photographs of Antarctica, mention in my upcoming book on polar journeys, and daily updates during the expedition.
Rs 18,000 – Rs 25,000 – Exclusive high-quality photographs of Antarctica, mention in my upcoming book on polar journeys, and daily updates during the expedition.
Rs 9,000 – 18000 - Exclusive high-quality photographs of Antarctica and daily updates during the expedition.
Upto Rs 9000 – Daily updates during the expedition.
We did it! On 3 March at 9.33 AM we crossed the Antarctic circle...I have now completed my personal goal of crossing both arctic and antarctic circles in one year to highlight the cause of climate change... it's been exhilarating!
We sighted several humpback.whales.along the way.
We disembarked on Detaille Island, an abandoned British base which served as a meteorological station from 1956 to 1959 before expanding ice forced its evacuation. This island was at the heart of the International Geophysical Year 1956-57 initiative under which all countries agreed to share Antarctic climate data with each other...this eventually led to the Antarctic Treaty that came into force in 1961. A similar spirit of cooperation is needed to address climate change now.
Learned about Steve the sled dog that was left behind by accident but survived by running sixty miles across the sea ice to another nearby British base on horseshoe island over three months in harsh minus 70 degrees weather.
Today there is far less ice than before and a few Adelie penguins have made the island their home.
This morning we studied icebergs among the Fish islands. Learned a thing or two about the different types of ice...saw unusually high levels of lichen everywhere.
More to come.
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