The 15th September is the day a massive polar bear, the size of a double decker bus, will parade a secret route through central London. The bear will be a symbol of the outrage that millions of us feel at the abuse of the melting Arctic to drill for oil.
Not only is the Arctic a fragile and ecologically sensitive area, in which the inevitable oil spills would be virtually impossible to clean up, but the fact it is rapidly melting should come as a stark warning of our lack of action as a society in moving beyond fossil fuels. This is before even mentioning feedback effects such as the increase in warming you get when sunlight hits dark coloured water rather than white, reflective ice; nor possible methane releases...
The bear will also be a message to Shell and other oil companies who seek to exploit the Arctic, that we won't stand by and let them feed society's fossil fuel addiction through the destruction of some of the most pristine places on Earth.
But the action shouldn't only be happening in London, which is why the Edinburgh Greenpeace group - along with other groups in Scotland and across the UK - will be running Ice Ride cycle protests, with others who'd prefer to walk going on foot, and our furry activist (who's rapidly losing her icy home) accompanying us!
Furthermore, the actions across the country will mark the expected Sea Ice Minimum – possibly the lowest ever as the Arctic continues to melt faster than ever, and we hope this will give a much needed reminder to our politicians that we need to act seriously on climate change.
So on the 15th September, I'll be cycling both to save the Arctic from destruction by oil drillers: for the communities and wildlife that would be wrecked by Arctic drilling, and as a reminder of how little time we have to act seriously on climate change. I hope you can join me and everyone else who's cycling with me.
If you'd like to join in with the Ice Ride in Edinburgh, please email greenpeace-edinburgh@live.co.uk
Galen is one of many volunteers across the world who will be taking action to protect the Arctic this Sunday, 15th September, as part of a Global Day of Action.
There are events happening in 75 cities in 35 countries.
Click here to find your nearest event in the UK.
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