The 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

Climate science is at the core of Cape Farewell's activity. The Cape Farewell vision is grounded in establishing long-term collaborations with international artists, organizations, and scientists. Use the links below to explore information on the science of climate change, and Cape Farewell's science programme.

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  The Science

  An introduction

  There appears to be enough evidence over the last century to indicate that global warming is taking place, though even this is still disputed by some.
  Find out more ›

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  The Facts

  Excerpts from the IPCC reports

  How do human activities contribute to climate change? How are temperatures on Earth changing?
  Find out more ›

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  Oceans and Climate

  An introduction

  60% of the heat from the Equator is moved polewards by ocean currents...
  Find out more ›

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  Expedition Science

  Seismic profiling

  Imaging the seabed in order to understand the past history of glaciation in the Disko Bay area.
  See what we did ›

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  Expedition Science

  ARGO floats launched

  Helping to map the world's oceans and thermohaline circulation.
  See what we did ›

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  Meet the Scientists

  Oceanographers, geologists...

  Meet the scientists who ensure that our work is rooted in the latest climate science.
  Meet the Scientists ›

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  Comment and Opinion

  Articles, research and writings

  A holistic look at the issues, opinions and comments surrounding climate change.
  Explore ›

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  Links and Resources

  Useful and interesting websites

  A collection of the resources we find interesting and useful including web links, papers, organisations and books.
  Links directory ›

Background

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 some way 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.