The Big Issue - UK (2020-03-02)

speciescanstay 50 years.Somespeciescanstay1,000years.The
knowledgeaboutlongevityisinsufficient.That'swhy we are having
thisexperiment.”
After thesummit,thedelegationhopon to busesand drive along
a windyroadpastdumpyreindeerontheslopestotheVault,looming
outofthedarknesslikea Bondvillain’slair.Theoutsidetemperature
hasslippedcloseto the-18Clevel insidetheVault,buttheeffectsof the
climatecrisiscanclearlybefeltinthislandofextremes.Todayitwasan
incrediblyunseasonablehighof1C.
TheSvalbardSeedVaulthasjustundergoneanextensive£16.7m
buildingprogramme.The entrancetunnelwas floodedby rainfall
and meltingpermafrostinearly 2017after Svalbardexperienced
temperatures seven degrees higher than normal that winter. Since

thentheyhavemadethetunnelwatertight,aswellasupgradingthe

coolingandsecuritysystems.

Theneedforrenovationsisa signthatclimatechangeishappening

fasterthanpreviouslypredicted,accordingtoErnaSolberg,prime

minsterofNorway:“Nowwehaveplannedforworst-casescenarios in

a betterway,”shesays.

OutsidetheSeedVault,Solberggreetsthegenebank

representativesandspeaksproudlyofthepartNorwayisplaying.

"I believethatmoreandmorecountriesareseeingthatto

safeguardtheirgenetics,seedsandbiodiversityoftheircountryit’s

importantthatyou store indifferentplaces,”shesays.

“Biodiversityispartofclimatechange.Wehavetomakesurewe

are planningforchangesintheclimatetomakesurewecanfeedthe

peopleoftheworldinthefuture.”

Thenameofeachgenebankisreadoutlike

nationsenteringtheOlympicarena,Solbergpresents

certificates,and storageboxesfullof seedsare

symbolicallycarriedoverthethreshold.

Everyseedcarriesitsownstorytoo.TheCherokee

NationisbecomingthefirstindigenousAmericantribe

tomakea deposit.Theirsamplescentreonthe‘three

sisters’crops– maize,squashandbeans– varieties

ofwhichallpredateEuropeansettlement.Themajority

ofCherokeecommunitiestodayareinOklahoma,

wherethecorncangrowashighasanelephant’seye,

buttheregionisalsoproneto droughts,floodsand

tornadoesputtingcrops– andCherokeeheritage–

atrisk.

Manyaroundtheworldarethreatenedbyfood

insecurity,whethertheylive inareasaffectedby

climatechangeordepend on a single, potentially

vulnerable, crop.

02-08 MARCH 2020 BIGISSUE.COM| 23

>

Preciouscargo

Moregenebank

depositsmakeit

throughthesub-

zero conditions

Marginalgrains

Ricefrom

Thailandarrives

attheSeedVault

last week

Image:Global Seed Vault/ Riccardo Gangale