Ep. 341 The Arctic Circle with Elena Doms

The Arctic Circle may be a place that holds mystery. Elena Doms was born and raised there. She discusses her close up view and deep understanding of climate change with Julian Guderley in this episode of Green Planet Blue Planet. The Arctic is warming up faster than anywhere else on Earth but there are few people who can comprehend climate change in the way a native who has witnessed years of impact can, where new harmful effects can be seen every year. Elena discusses what it was like for her hometown, a community divided by a river that is usually frozen in the winter, safe passage over the ice in recent years has been trickier. In previous years the temperatures are normally 30 degrees below 0 Celsius but in recent years the temperatures have risen to just minus 7 to minus 10 degrees. During the pandemic, people had a difficult time getting to the hospital on the opposite bank. Engineers had to be more creative in their transportation solutions. Elena discusses the visible effects of pollution in the rise in air temperatures and the lack of rain. Thirty degrees in summer time is no longer abnormal. While Europe was flooding, her parents were having to water the plants daily for the first time. Now living in Belgium, Elena reflects on 18 years of living near the Polar Circle and her mission to create the largest soil and CO2 clean up in history with Nature through Earth Plus. Tune in to hear more about her fascinating journey and stories that will help everyone understand how drastically and quickly climate change is impacting everyone and everything around us. About: Elena learned how to grow plants and food 30 years ago as a child and dreams of rewilding cities and restoring nature all over the world, and for her own children. She uses plants to clean the soils of forever chemicals, capturing CO2 while creating a circular economy through nature-based solutions. She is an international speaker on sustainability and has managed cross-cultural teams of up to 500 people across Europe and Asia through bio-based circular materials. Elena is also an artist who uses her art as a beautiful way to inspire and educate.