Húsavík, iceland,7 june 2010:

We’re all here! A mixed bunch, 11 teenagers from

6 countries. We all took part in the I.C.E. Com-

petition 2010 – and won a place in the fourth

international I.C.E. youth camp in Iceland. e

abbreviation stands for Ice Climate Education.

Arved Fuchs brought this climate project to life.

e thinking behind it is as follows: we, the youth

of today, have to find solutions for climate change

for tomorrow. It’s never too early to gather ideas,

not only from books but preferably in the field.

at’s why we’re here. Arved himself communi-

cates with us regularly by video conference. He is

on an expedition to Greenland with his ship, the

Dagmar Aaen.

On the very first “proper” I.C.E. day we get stuck

in with a discussion about CO2. What impact

does our individual behaviour have, what can still

be done?

417 m Húsavík’s

own mountain

Húsavíkurall is not particularly high but the

ascent is still very steep. We are not used to this

but it’s worth it. It’s as if the mountain wanted to

show us what else was on offer in addition to the

fantastic 360º view from the summit, because on

the way up we spot many birds and wild flowers,

some of which are rare.

all aboard

We sail to Dalvík on the old cutter “Knörrin”.

Just as well we all got oversized protective

clothing because the breeze is pretty fresh for

us landlubbers. But it’s not just the clothing

that is keeping us warm: below deck there must

be a natural spring supplying hot chocolate and

everybody lends a hand with sailing the boat.

We stop halfway at Flatey, the “flat island”. Here

you can see 30 out of a total of 37 bird

species native to Iceland, including terns and

Iceland’s own puffins.

Dalvík lies on the Eyjaördur ord. When we

enter the harbour, we see the glittering mountains

of the Tröllaskagi peninsula (up to 1000 m high)

in the background. We are staying in Skeið guest-

house, which lies in the middle of the Svarfaðardal

nature conservation area – and just outside the

Arctic Circle.

Of course, climate change is going to be the focus

of I.C.E. Everybody describes the effects in their

own country, each time giving us a fresh perspec-

tive on the topic.

e ice age left behind many glaciers in the moun-

tains. We are walking in Svarfaðardal and try

wading through the glacier water. If we didn’t

realise it before, we certainly can almost feel the

proximity of the Arctic Circle when our feet hit

the water. As a reward for the kilometres we have

walked, we enjoy a bit of sun at one of the lakes.

back in

Husavík

we devote our energies to the “CleanAir” simulation

game, where we take on the role of representing

different nations in a climate conference. e game

represents the active part of the camp. Armed with

the knowledge from the previous scientific lectures,

we watch “e Great Global Warming Swindle” in

the evening: the film contradicts widespread opi-

nion on climate change and seemed almost gro-

tesque in view of what we had learned before.

When you hear of Iceland, you usually think of gla-

ciers first followed by volcanoes. After seeing the

glaciers at Dalvik, the volcanoes are next: Iceland

lies exactly on the Eurasian and American continen-

tal plates, which are drifting 2 cm apart each year.

is is why there are so many volcanoes in Iceland

that are still active. All in all, there seems to be

something going on underground: every day there

are lots of small earthquakes but they are scarcely

noticed.

e Icelanders harnessed these natural energy sour-

ces early on. e best conditions for geothermal

power stations are to be found on the island. e

energy obtained here is used for electricity, heating

and to de-ice the roads. It is hard to beat the Icelan-

ders when it comes to renewable energies for produ-

cing electricity: geothermal energy produces about

25%, and the remainder is almost wholly produced

from hydropower. What could be a better model!

Hvrerarönd

Bubbling mud pools, mounds from which hydrogen

sulfide is steaming, small volcanoes: on the sulfur

fields of Hverarönd we see with our own eyes how

Iceland is seething underground. e region lies in

the volcano system of Krafla. In this landscape we

imagine we are on Mars, except there are far more

colours here than just Martian red – the rock varies

from yellow to purple. Our last visit is to the Krafla

geothermal power station where energy has been

produced since 1977.

dimmuborgir

Stipvisiste is in another world: after science and

technology, Dimmuborgir offers a complete con-

trast. e lava field reminds one of ruined castles

and in Icelandic mythology it is the home of elves

and trolls ...

Húsavík is the capital of whale watching

– at least nowadays. In the bay of Húsavík there

is a good chance of spotting whales. Since whaling

was stopped in Iceland in 1989, watching these

sea mammals has established itself as a new source

of income and brings in a lot more than whaling.

Before we set off on our whale watching trip, we

listen to a lecture on the history of whaling. It is

terrible how many whales have been killed over

the years. en we have a look round the whale

museum. Here you can find out everything about

the different species of whale and dolphin which

live in Iceland’s waters and about the causes of

beached whales. e history of whaling is also dealt

with. We stand open-mouthed beneath the giant

skeleton of one of these sea mammals.

wHale watcHing

in Húsavík

At lunchtime we take the sailing boat out in the

hope of seeing a few flukes or a blowhole. We’re in

luck: the bay of the whale capital confirms its repu-

tation! Besides several whales, we also see dolphins.

Our sailing trip also takes us to Lundey Island (also

known as Puffin Iceland) where about 250,000

puffins live in the summer.

Today is the day for natural forces! We drive to the

two waterfalls Dettifoss and Selfoss in the Jökuldár-

glijúfur National Park. Selfoss lies a bit upstream of

Dettifoss. e water from the Jökulsá á Fjöllum

rushes over a 10-metre drop into the canyon. en,

about a kilometre further on, it really gets going at

Dettifoss: an average of 193 cubic metres of water

per second plunge vertically down a 45 m drop.

In terms of water discharge, this makes it the largest

waterfall in Europe!

jökuldárglijúfur

national park

e second highlight is the horseshoe-shaped

Ásbyrgi Canyon: the river, whose raging torrent

over the two waterfalls left us awestruck, used to

flow through here. Because of its shape, the canyon

is also called “Odin’s Footprint”: legend has it that

Odin’s eight-legged horse Sleipnir left a hoofprint

in the ground. It is also said to be an important

cultural and economic centre of the elves.

ásbyrgi canyon

e last day of the camp is devoted to the high

point of the “CleanAir” simulation game. It be-

comes clear from our heated discussions in our trial

agreements and trial runs how much more difficult

it must be to reach agreement on an international

level. But in the end we come to a resolution.

I.C.E. is over and we feel a bit better prepared for

tomorrow.

Links

If you want to find out more – start with the following links:

www.arved-fuchs.de

www.husavik.de

www.icewhale.is

www.thule-tours.com

photos: Arne Steenbock - Arved Fuchs Expeditionen

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