We are thrilled to share that our Clean Planet Peninsula project, co-sponsored by the Clean Planet Foundation and the UK Polar Network, made headlines on Observer.com in May 2023.
The Observer is a well-known and highly respected news source, featuring a wide range of topics- from politics to culture to technology; boasting a monthly audience size in the millions. The Clean Planet feature came from an opinion piece co-authored by Clean Planet Peninsula team members, Chloe Nunn, Dr. Katerina Garyfalou and Ellie Honan - and interviewing Expedition Leader, Antony Jinman.
This exposure sparked a massive conversation online across multiple platforms; for example the feature amassed over 3.5k upvotes and hundreds of comments on popular discussion platform Reddit, emphasising the widespread interest in and concern for our polar regions, plastic waste and climate future.
The Clean Planet Peninsula project is an ambitious initiative aimed at providing early career polar scientists and researchers (ECRs) with invaluable fieldwork experience. It also aims to raise awareness about the critical environmental challenges faced by the polar regions, particularly the impacts of plastic pollution and climate change.
On Reddit, the project ignited a lively, thoughtful and lengthy conversation.
One user used irony to highlight the considerable amount of mis-information that surrounds polar and climate science, and how more information such as these articles is needed. LDM shared,
All those scientists wasting all that time should just read that one Facebook post my uncle shared ten years ago and they’d see how it’s really no big deal for some very simple reasons that just felt right in my big stupid gut and I decided to parrot forever.
Another Reddit user, DocMoochal, took the opportunity to emphasise the gravity of the situation,
People say "the planet will be fine, the people are [not]". What irks me is how many people parrot that line as though it's some excuse to do nothing to save ourselves"
This sentiment highlighted the need for action in the face of environmental challenges, reinforcing the purpose of the Peninsula project.
Furthermore, user is0ph expanded this conversation, to the broader ecological implications of climate change, stating,
"Not only the people. A majority of species will be [under threat] too".
This sentiment underscores the extensive impact of climate change on the Earth's biodiversity, and extreme views people have on wanting to protect it.
HasHog expressed their shock at the scale of plastic waste, especially in response to the articles statement that 'the stomachs of many local seabirds are now over 80 percent plastic':
It’s insane. And for decades people knew about the harms of plastics, the harms of just dumping w/e overboard but it goes on. We need to reduce the excessive waste and destruction of our environments
We appreciate these candid insights and the attention they bring to the importance of polar science and the environmental challenges our planet faces. We believe that through the Clean Planet Peninsula project, we can contribute significantly to the understanding and mitigation of these challenges.
The Clean Planet Foundation, a not-for-profit arm of the Clean Planet group, is committed to educating and taking action for the sustainable use of plastics and reduction of carbon emissions.
In partnership with the UK Polar Network, and Antony Jinman, a renowned polar explorer who leads teams in challenging environments, the Clean Planet Peninsula project aim to provide participants with hands-on experience in studying these environmental challenges. This will enable them to contribute valuable data to the scientific community and inform global conservation efforts.
In the face of such significant challenges, we are inspired by the outpouring of support and the thoughtful discussion our project has generated. We are proud to be part of this critical work and look forward to continuing to share our progress and achievements with you.
You can read the full Observer article - here
You can read the Reddit reaction - here