The Climate Project Executive Director Visits the Svalbard Global Seed Vault

02/27/09

Jenny Clad, Executive Director of The Climate Project, was invited by the Norwegian government to attend a first anniversary ceremony on February 26th with world leaders, dignitaries, and renowned scientists at the Svalbard Global Seed Vault.  The vault, which lies on a remote island near the Arctic Circle, was established to ensure that the genetic diversity of global agricultural crops is preserved for future generations. As part of its one-year celebration, the seed vault accepted shipments of 90,000 seed samples that originated in more than 100 countries.

A seminar held as part of the event emphasized the effect of food production, crop diversity, and the need for adaptation in the face of climate change. Experts have asserted that food production could go down by as much as 20-50% by 2050 due to global warming.

“Global interdependence and collaboration must be total to preserve genetic biodiversity.  All countries should make sustainable use of their natural resources.  Breeding of climate ready varieties must be accelerated in order to increase the production of food," said Jenny Clad, Executive Director of The Climate Project.

The Svalbard Global Seed Vault is funded and established by Norway as a service to the world. The Global Crop Diversity Trust is providing support for the ongoing operations of the seed vault, as well as organizing and funding the preparation and shipment of seeds from developing countries to the facility.

NordGen will manage the facility and maintain a public on-line database of samples stored in the seed vault, which has the capacity to house 4.5 million samples—some 2 billion seeds.

To learn more about the Svalbard Global Seed Vault, click here. 

The Climate Project is Al Gore's climate change leadership program and is a part of the Alliance for Climate Protection, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. TCP's mission is to educate the public about the harmful effects of climate change and to work toward solutions at a grassroots level worldwide. TCP supports more than 3,500 diverse and dedicated volunteers worldwide. TCP Presenters have delivered 70,000 presentations and have reached a combined global audience of 7.3 million people. Your donation will allow us to engage even more people directly in our mission and empower every individual to play a part in solving the climate crisis.  Donations for The Climate Project are accepted through the Alliance for Climate Protection. Please specify that your gift should be allocated to The Climate Project fund. Contributions or gifts to The Alliance for Climate Protection are deductible as charitable contributions for Federal income tax purposes. No goods or services of any value were or will be transferred to you in connection with this donation. Unless otherwise indicated, donations are considered unrestricted and will be used by the Alliance to fulfill its overall mission and goals.

FULL SCHEDULE

REQUEST PRESENTATION