22 September 2020, London: Extreme E, the new electric off-road motor racing series, has announced it is partnering with Unicef, the world’s leading children’s organisation, on a mission to empower young changemakers in Greenland through climate education.
Extreme E, which will race in Kangerlussuaq, Greenland in August 2021 during its inaugural season, and its independent Scientific Committee composed of leading climate experts from Oxford and Cambridge Universities, will work closely with Unicef UK and Unicef Denmark in Greenland. Extreme E will be supporting Unicef’s work on climate change education, helping children across Greenland to understand and address the climate related issues which are putting them, and future generations at risk.
Alejandro Agag, Founder and CEO of Extreme E, said: “We are thrilled to be joining forces with Unicef UK on this transformational partnership to empower young people in Greenland in the fight against climate change.
“Extreme E is racing in Kangerlussuaq, Greenland, as part of its mission to use sport to build awareness for climate issues. The region has become a global symbol of the climate crisis as the arctic ice cap continues to melt at alarming rates, not only leading to record global sea rise but of course it is also having drastic affect on the way of life for its local communities.
“Our younger generations are crucial in the fight for the future and together with the incredible expertise and dedication of Unicef, the world’s leading organisation for children, we are looking forward to the opportunity to build a legacy of climate education in Kangerlussuaq and throughout Greenland.”
Professor Peter Wadhams, Head of Extreme E’s Scientific Committee of climate experts, who has led over 50 arctic expeditions during his career and is one of the world’s leading authories on ice melt, will contribute to the partnership alongside other local and global experts.
Extreme E will also be supporting Unicef’s NAKUUSA programme, which this year celebrates it’s 10thanniversary, which supports children’s rights in Greenland through the creation of children’s councils, helping to amplify their voices. The partnership will look to raise awareness of the effects of climate change in Greenland and on children to Extreme E fans and audiences.
Sue Adams, Director of Partnerships at Unicef UK added: “We are delighted to partner with Extreme E to include and empower Greenland’s younger generation in the fight against climate change. Children are the least responsible for climate change, yet they will bear the greatest burden of its impact.
“Building on the existing work of Unicef in Greenland to promote and protect the rights of children—including those linked to the environment—we will help to empower children to become active citizens, providing them with the necessary tools to reimagine a cleaner, greener future.”
Maliina Abelsen, Head of Programmes in Greenland for UNICEF, said: “In UNICEF we always involve children when it comes to issues that affect them. Through listening and actively engaging, we find that they often offer brilliant solutions to their own future. That´s why this project, aiming to empower the children of Greenland to take even more action than they´re already taking, makes perfect sense for us to engage in.”
Extreme E is a radical new racing series, starting early 2021, which will see electric SUVs competing in extreme environments around the world which have already been damaged or affected by climate and environmental issues. The five-race global voyage highlights the impact of climate change and human interference in some of the world’s most remote locations and promotes the adoption of electric vehicles to help preserve the environment and protect the planet.
To learn more about Extreme E, visit – www.Extreme-E.com
About Extreme E
Extreme E is a radical new racing series, which will see electric SUVs competing in extreme environments around the world which have already been damaged or affected by climate and environmental issues. The five-race global voyage highlights the impact of climate change and human interference in some of the world’s most remote locations and promotes the adoption of electric vehicles to help preserve the environment and protect the planet.
Set to commence in early 2021, Extreme E’s inaugural season will be staged across five environments: including the Arctic, Desert, Amazon and Coastal locations, selecting places which have already been damaged or affected by climate issues.
As well as demonstrating the performance and capabilities of cutting-edge electric SUVs racing across these harsh terrains in formidable conditions – Extreme E will also work closely with its Scientific Committee of experts in each region to raise global awareness and education for the specific issues each environment faces, such as rising carbon emissions, melting ice caps, deforestation, desertification, droughts, plastic pollution and rising sea levels.
Another unique feature of Extreme E is its floating garage, the RMS St. Helena. The former Royal Mail cargo-passenger vessel is undergoing a modernisation and refit in order to lower its emissions. It will be used to transport the championship’s freight and infrastructure, including vehicles, to the nearest port, minimising Extreme E’s footprint as well as being used to facilitate scientific research through an on-board laboratory.
About Professor Peter Wadhams:
Professor Peter Wadhams has spent his career in the Arctic, making more than 50 trips there, some in submarines with the Royal Navy under the polar ice. He is credited with being one of the first scientists to show that the ice that once covered the Arctic ocean was beginning to thin and shrink.
He was Director of the Scott Polar Institute in Cambridge from 1987 to 1992 and Professor of Ocean Physics at Cambridge since 2001. His book, A Farewell to Ice, tells the story of his unravelling of this alarming trend and describes what the consequences for our planet will be if Arctic ice continues to disappear at its current rate.
About Unicef
Unicef is the world’s leading organisation for children, promoting the rights and wellbeing of every child, in everything we do. Together with our partners, we work in 190 countries and territories to translate that commitment into practical action, focusing special effort on reaching the most vulnerable and excluded children, to the benefit of all children, everywhere.
For more information please visit unicef.org.uk
Follow UNICEF UK on Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook and YouTube.
