Our Climate Science Programme
"The great thing about Cape Farewell is that it brings together a group of intellectuals working in science and the arts to discuss a common theme. In the past, there would have been nothing unusual in this. If you look at some of our greatest philosophers and writers, Samuel Pepys for example, was also the President of the Royal Society. One of our greatest inventors - Leonardo Da Vinci - is one of our greatest artists. We’ve actually gone away from this integrated approach to solving problems. Cape Farewell brings us back to our roots and has really been exciting for that."
Simon Boxall, 2008
The Science
An Introduction
The Facts
Excerpts from the IPCC Reports
How do human activities contribute to climate change? How are temperatures on Earth changing? ›
Oceans and Climate
An Introduction
60% of the heat from the Equator is moved polewards by ocean currents ›
The Climate Challenge
A Background
Extreme Weather Events
An Overview
The 10 warmest years on record have all occurred since 1998 ›
The Implications
Hear From...
Expedition Science
Seismic Profiling
Imaging the seabed in order to understand the past history of glaciation in the Disko Bay area ›
Expedition Science
ARGO Floats Launched
Helping to map the world's oceans and thermohaline circulation ›
Meet the Scientists
Oceanographers, Geologists...
Meet the scientists who ensure that our work is rooted in the latest climate science ›
Effecting Change
What Can You Do?
Explore some of the ways in which we as individuals can effect change ›
Links and Resources
Useful Webites
Background and Partners
Cape Farewell exists because Director and Founder David Buckland read an article by a NASA scientist who said the window of opportunity for dealing with climate change was very short, perhaps less than 10 years. He started to investigate it further and there was a huge frustration with climate scientists who knew there was a problem, but couldn't find a way to communicate it to the public, partly because there were no images or succinct message about climate change. The ambition for Cape Farewell was to create a new bank of ideas, of imagery, of writing - to find a new language to talk about climate change.
Since the organisation's conception, the knowledge about climate change and science research has directly influenced our programme of activity. The location of our expeditions are led by the science and the artwork and ideas that develop are founded in scientific research. We work with scientists and organisations across the UK and internationally to ensure that our work is founded in science. Partner organisations include University College London, Environmental Change Institute Oxford University, National Oceanography Centre, Scottish Association of Marine Scientists and British Geological Survey.
The relationship between the art and science
Through our exhibitions and events programme, film, book and youth programme it is clear to see how the artists and young people we have worked with have been effected by the science of climate change. All our artists have in someway been inspired to respond to the Arctic environment. But our approach also inspires the scientists who work with us to think differently about the how they work. We pioneer an interdisciplinary approach to inviting the artists and scientists to work together.
