Vandana Ryder - The Marine Arctic Peace Sanctuary - Protecting All Life

For millions of years, long before humans ever walked on earth, the arctic ocean has kept our planet cool. It balances weather patterns globally so that we have the food and resources we need to survive. But today, the arctic ocean is under threat.

Nowadays, there is 75% less arctic sea ice during the summer than there was just 50 years ago, and the land ice is vanishing as well. The more the ice melts, the warmer our world gets. The warmer our world gets, the more the ice melts. This destructive cycle affects our entire planet. Scientists have called this phenomenon the “death spiral.”

And yet, governments and businesses around the globe seek to profit off the thaw of arctic sea ice, through activities such as oil and gas exploitation, shipping, fishing, mining, and military buildup. It should be noticed that this view of focusing only on short-term gains endangers us all.

The Marine Arctic Peace Sanctuary (MAPS) protects the entire northern arctic ocean of the arctic circle as the world’s largest preservation area (8 million square km). During our webinar, Vandana Erin Ryder will discuss the urgent need for MAPS and the strategy to realize it. In the same way, Vandana will show us how MAPS supports almost every UN Sustainable Development Goal.

Vandana Erin Ryder is the General Counsel for Parvati Foundation and author of the MAPS Treaty. Her extensive legal career includes a major Canadian law firm, the Law Society of British Columbia, and the British Columbia Ministry of the Attorney General.

Melt hearts, not ice. Save the world.