Local residents and performers gathered recently at The Saracen’s Plate in Penryn to raise awareness for climate change, animals and people from the area.

The evening was an important part of a global campaign associated with Greenpeace to create a 1.8 million square kilometer reserve in the Arctic.

After a short documentary, people were entertained by performances from local artists including Ross Dan Galt, Maisy Inston, Sienna Holihan and Alex Black.

Tom Pine, Greenpeace member and an organiser of the event, thought the evening was a great success, saying: “I’m glad we managed to show the short video narrated by Javier Bardem showing his trip to Antarctica as I think it explained the point very well. I also thought the music was excellent.”

Art on display at the Greenpeace event

All over the world people call for an action to preserve the future of the area. The idea of creating the biggest reservation is important in order to protect whales, seals and other wildlife.

The animals, however, are not the only ones living in the area. The Arctic is home to millions of people, including Khanty and Nenets, who have lived near Lake Numto in Siberia for thousands of years and they don’t want to lose their land.

There is also a significant problem with climate change because the temperature in the Arctic is rising twice as fast as in other parts of the planet. As well as this, the oil drilling industry is extremely destructive for the area – yet the melting ice is still considered by many as an opportunity to find new resources of oil and gas.

The proposal was suggested by the European Union and is supported by several countries, with the result of the negotiations between the governments being announced at a conference of the Antarctic Nations in Australia this month.

Tom also spoke about his hopes for the results the campaign will bring: “There are reports that three quarters of the krill fishing industry is willing to support an Antarctic Ocean Sanctuary. There are also several governments who’re very keen and supporting the idea.”

“So I do believe there will be some form of sanctuary, just how big it is and exactly what the word sanctuary means will depend on the negotiations,“ he added.

It is believed that the reserve will ensure prosperity of the area and its unique ecosystem. There could also be global benefits with fish populations recovering.

For more information, check out Save The Arctic Facebook page, Twitter or Instagram.