The team captured stunning photos of the natural beauty of the landscape and the marine and terrestrial fauna in its natural environment, but primarily sought to record the problems caused by climate change and pollution in the Arctic and its populations.

The expedition to the Arctic Circle, led by the long-distance athlete Marios Giannakou and the support of the Aikaterini Laskaridis Foundation and BlueCycle, was completed. The team returned to Greece after sailing for almost a month and 930 nautical miles (1,722 km) in Northern Norway and Svalbard, where they captured stunning photos of the natural beauty of the landscape and the marine and terrestrial fauna in its natural environment, but primarily sought to record the problems caused by climate change and pollution in the Arctic and its populations.

The team (from left): Maria Tsakiri, Marios Giannakou, Manos Armoutakis, Elia Nikitopoulou, Saga Svavarsdottir (Arctic guide), Konstantinos Malgaralis

Climate change and its effects have been studied by many researchers who have chosen the Arctic as a place of study. After all, the evidence is clear regarding the faster rise in temperature in the region compared to the rest of the planet.

The expedition also dealt with issues related to fishing activity and the protection of the marine environment in the area. Τhey gathered testimonies from professionals and residents of Northern Norway – among them being indigenous people such as Sámi – whose activities are increasingly affected by the seemingly imperceptible changes in environmental conditions.

Photo by Manos Armoutakis

In this sensitive period, where the whole planet is shaken by unprecedented natural disasters, the Aikaterini Laskaridis Foundation continues its educational work, with the aim of raising awareness and further illuminating the causes and effects of everything that is happening. At the same time, BlueCycle contributes by proposing solutions – nationally and internationally – aimed at combating marine pollution and curbing the effects of climate change.

This effort was supported by the Greek office of the European Parliament.