First Zero Emissions Polar Station inaugurated

Friday, 13 February 2009 00:00

With the first Polar Station run entirely on renewable energy, which was inaugurated on the 15 of February 2009, the world stepped into a more sustainable future. The “Princess Elisabeth Scientific Polar Station” set in the Antarctic aims towards zero emissions, and in addition to being run on solar and wind energy; all waste from the Polar Station will be recycled.

The brain and driving force behind the station is Alain Hubert, rrenowned Belgian explorer, environmentalist and Goodwill Ambassador to UNICEF Belgium. He has been participating in mountaineering expeditions all over the world, and has set himself the challenge of walking to the North Pole, the South Pole and the top of Mount Everest.

During his polar explorations, Hubert raised awareness of the impacts of climate change and mobilized opinion against global warming. "Antarctica is the only place on earth where the link between carbon dioxide emissions and temperature rise has been discovered," he says.

During the winter of 2007-8, Hubert spent four months setting up the new Polar Station, which is located between the Russian station Novolazarevska and the Japanese station Syowa, in the heart of Dronning Maude Land.  The choice of materials and technologies for the polar station is made according to eco-construction principles, to reduce the new base’s environmental impact. The polar station houses 20 persons for four months a year (November through February), and is open to scientists from Europe and other continents.

Photo: The new Polar Station will be run entirely on solar and wind- energy, and recycle all waste. (Photo credit: International Polar Foundation)