international
polar
foundation

We are proud to announce that on Saturday December 22nd, our exhibition of life at Princess Elisabeth Antarctica, Inside the Station, opens at Tour & Taxis in Brussels. The exhibition runs until May 31st, 2013.

As a followup the Arctic Futures Symposium in Brussels earlier this month, we have now posted Questions and Answer sessions with three of the key speakers from the conference -  Professor David Vaughan, Charles Emmerson and Dr Walt Meier on the Arctic Futures Vimeo Channel, who speak to us in depth about the issues facing the Arctic.

Legendary polar explorer Sir Ranulph Fiennes dropped by the Internatonal Polar Foundation offices here in Brussels this morning, to meet up with the foundation's president Alain Hubert. Sr Ranulph is currently preparing for a major polar challenge: The Coldest Journey on Earth, which will see him and five companions attempt to cross Antarctica in winter.

We're delighted to announce a new book by International Polar Foundation vice-president Nighat Amin, about the world' first zero emission polar research station.

Brussel's world-famous icon, the mischievous Mannekin-Pis statue of the "little peeing boy", turned into an Arctic and Antarctic adventurer this morning, when he was presented with a polar expedition suit by Belgian polar explorer and International Polar Foundation president Alain Hubert, to mark the tenth anniversary since the creation of the organisation.

Arctic stakeholders, including EU and foreign policymakers, scientists, industry representatives, indigenous peoples and academics are gathering this morning in Brussels, for the annual Arctic Futures Symposium.

German glaciologist Dr Reinhard Drews was tonight presented with the prestigious €150,000 InBev-Baillet Latour Antarctica Fellowship, by His Royal Highness Prince Philippe of Belgium, for his proposal to investigate how the potential disintegration of Antarctic floating ice shelves could contribute to increased ice flow from inland glaciers, and a resulting rise in global sea levels.

The International Polar Foundation celebrates ten years of achievement, in the presence of their Royal Highnesses Prince Philippe and Princess Mathilde of Belgium, and His Serene Highness Prince Albert II of Monaco, at a gala dinner for 300 guests tonight central Brussels.

In just one month’s time, the challenges facing the Arctic - during a time of great change and global warming uncertainty - will be the subject of frank and lively debate in Brussels. On October 4th and 5th. Registration is free, and is now open!

The International Polar Foundation is pleased to announce its membership of the Antarctic Ocean Alliance, a coalition that has identified 19 key areas that warrant protection as a network of designated, no-take marine reserves that would cover 40% of Antarctica’s Southern Ocean.