12 Years Left to Save the World

Every winter in the northern part of the world… the Arctic ocean freezes and turns into sea ice.

The freezing of ice has been pretty reliable. But for the first time in 1500 years, the Arctic is not freezing like it used to and we are witnessing the fastest decline in sea ice.

I may not be the greatest at reading charts but I can see that these results don’t seem normal. It’s extreme and quite frankly, somewhat terrifying.

I know what you are thinking...

What does this have to do with me?

Who the hell wants to live in the Arctic?

I have nothing to do with that and sure as hell didn’t cause the problem.

... and actually so what if it melts?

Well first off, it’s better for the sea ice to stay frozen… Here’s why:

1. Temperature rising… the world will get hotter, and not the enjoyable kind.

How hot, you’re wondering? Recently, the temperature has risen over 6 degrees celsius. Now allow me to paint the picture of the domino effect. This means:

• Massive ice sheets melting causing sea levels to rise
• More frequent intense droughts in Africa causing people to starve
• Heat waves killing thousands of lives in Europe (already started)
• In the US, we are seeing more and more hurricanes like Harvey and Florence

If that’s not bad enough…

Coral reefs are drastically affected with nearly 90% expected to die off. That means no more beach holidays for our future generations. They will never be able to go diving or snorkeling nor have seafood.

And if you are not a beach person, kiss those European holidays goodbye because you will melt away with those heat waves.

2. Animals will go extinct…..

The death of coral also means the death of all the little nemo’s of the world… Nemo and his underwater friends are not the only ones to go. Polar bears who depend on ice for survival won’t be able to hunt seal without frozen ice. (The Nat Geo video of starving polar bear will really hit home).

If you don’t care about the animals, and it’s okay if you don’t, we still haven’t even seen the tip of the iceberg here in Asia. If so far this sounds like fun and games, the last one is a killer.

3. Tick Tock... time is running out...

Satellites are showing us with the rising global temperature, our planet is already ⅔ of the way there. According to UN report, we have only 12 years to get our shit in order. Unfortunately, we can't go live in an ashram or get sucked into the latest shows on netflix. This is happening and it's happening now.

On a positive note, it’s not all bad news. The good news is we can change it. Nature is pretty badass and a lot of the bad things we do to it, it can self correct.

So are you ready to save our wildlife, holidays and mankind?

But we need to act now!

To improve this situation, Robert Swan, the first guy to walk to the North and South Pole created a foundation called 2041.

Why?

Because that’s the year that international treaties of the world’s nations will renegotiate preservation of Antarctica.

Robert didn't expect to work on this mission, but after walking the south pole as well as being one of the first people to accidentally walk under the hole in ozone layer, he experienced first hand what the world will be facing. The damage caused his eyes to change color, developed face blisters and got huge lumps which ripped off his face.

You don’t need to be a genius to realize that this is not normal. Inspired by Jacques Cousteau, he started 2041 with the mission to inspire, stimulate and connect organisations and communities who seek to protect our world and create a more sustainable, clean future.

Inspired?

So how do I want to help?

I want to produce Asia's first documentary series of what these implications will mean for Asia. My primary goal is to bring awareness to individuals, government as well as business executives, to consider taking concrete actions towards stopping the huge consequences that await us.

And bring awareness to amazing organisations like Ellen MacArthur "A line in the sand" and what they are doing. I want to coordinate an effort to increase awareness in different communities and to show them that it's still possible.

I currently fundraising and applying for grants to make that possible. But using the Go Get Funding to help fundraise for the cost of the actually expedition. I would be so grateful if you would help contribute making this dream possible.

If you are wondering... who am I?

My name is Yasmine. I believe that we have the power to change the world (and that red lipstick is essential to make it happen :P).

During university, I did a double degree in Psychology and marketing as well as helped grow the world’s largest student-led organization across the Middle East. Right after, my dad passed away after battling cancer. Losing him this way taught me the most important lesson in life.

That is, the only thing that is guaranteed is death. Only then, I knew I wanted to work on making the world a better place. So I started working for an oil and gas company believing that big companies have the power to change the world.

Unfortunately, the conversation was a little too early for them and they weren’t progressive enough for my pace. But I was still determined to make a change. So I decided to cycle the world’s toughest mountain race (450 km over 5 days) and raised $50,000 for women in East Timor. it was one of the hardest experiences I ever went through. (Thank you all who supported me on that mission by the way, eternal love forever) This changed the trajectory of my life and this journey helped inspire thousands of lives as a result of our project.

At this point, I felt my job would limit me. So I went off to IE Business School, traveled the world consulting small business on how to set up and grow their sales. I starting VSStory, an agency that helps visionary brands get more visibility, to help our clients who were battling single use plastic, vision care and enabling communities out of poverty.

And this is why, I wanted to contribute this huge initiative and to give more visibility to such inspiring business and government initiatives to promote how Asian businesses can contribute to avoiding 2020 outcomes.

Thank you for reading, please donate, no matter the amount, and spread the word to a few people you’d like to share the story of 2041 with so we can raise awareness and change the future of our Earth.

Resources mentioned:

• https://www.vox.com/energy-and-environment/2017/12/12/16767152/arctic-sea-ice-extent-chart
• https://news.nationalgeographic.com/2017/12/polar-bear-starving-arctic-sea-ice-melt-climate-change-spd/
• https://www.cnn.com/2018/10/07/world/climate-change-new-ipcc-report-wxc/index.html
• https://www.skepticalscience.com/arctic-was-warmer-in-1940.htm