Green Daily

The shortest distance between two points is a straight line, but walking to the North Pole is inevitably a zig zag.

British explorers are headed north in an attempt to measure sea ice and gauge conditions on the ground during the final months of the Arctic winter.

The three explorers landed north of Canada on February 28th, and in the days since they have been blown this way and that from the slicing winds and shifting ice. They have actually made about the same amount of progress in 12 days as they had in 6. During the course of the night the ice shifts and sometimes floats up to a mile.

Explorers say they are bruised and carrying gear in their clothing to keep it warm enough to function. That said, they have also had the chance to speak with international leaders about the importance of addressing climate change. The Department for International Development held its annual conference in London this week, and explorers talked via satelite phone about the impact of thinning Arctic ice.

You can read more about their travails here. They are blogging.

[BBC]