The Arctic Circle is the area on earth marked that runs so north of the Equator that the sun never rises at Winter Solstice and never sets at Summer Solstice. In plain English, it’s dark all day in winter and light all day in summer! The North Pole is in the centre of the Arctic Circle. This imaginary line is present in just a few countries on earth: The Scandinavian countries (Denmark, Greenland, Norway, Sweden and Finland, plus Iceland, Canada, Russia and Alaska (in the USA).
The Animals of the Frozen North is a book that looks at how wood frogs can freeze for the long Arctic winter and still survive. Along the way children will also meet polar bears, an Arctic fox, narwhales and other animals that perfectly adapt to live in the coldest places.
Of course, all are being affected by rising temperatures due to climate change (the ice melting is affecting polar bears and rising seas means countries like Greenland are at risk). In addition, many of these countries are home to Boreal temperate rainforests, home to creatures like bears, elk, moose and wolves. So what can we do in England to help?
- Live a simple sustainable life (this is the answer to almost everything, in order to prevent climate change and pollution, and share earth’s resources for all.
- Switch to clean energy. Ecotricity is one of the best, as it doesn’t produce ‘green energy’ by burning animal carcasses from abattoirs, which some companies do. Moving away from fossil fuels is the most effective way to bring down rising temperatures.
- Choose recycled paper products (paper tissues, paper towels and bathroom tissue, along with buying items from reclaimed wood over new). This helps prevent logging in Boreal rainforests.
The world cannot live without the Arctic; it affects every living thing on Earth. And acts as a virtual thermostat, reflecting sunlight and cooling the planet. Philippe Cousteau Jr
The Arctic is a harshly inhospitable place, but the conditions there are precisely what polar bears require to survive – and thrive. ‘Harsh’ to us is ‘home’ for them. Take away the ice and snow, increase the temperature by even a little, and the realm that makes their lives possible, literally melts away. Sylvia Earle
