“One day in the future there might be an oil rig sitting on top of the North Pole” said David Hik, chairman of International Polar Year Canada.

The International Polar Year begins in March, and will involve 50,000 scientists studying the impact of climate change at the poles. Canada is the main contributor, donating 160 million dollars.

By Stephen Leahy

TORONTO, Canada, Jan 13 (Tierramérica) – The recent collapse of a Canadian Arctic ice shelf illustrates why Canada is the biggest contributor to the International Polar Year, the world’s largest scientific research program, focused on climate change. More than 60 nations,¬ from Chile to China, and 50,000 scientists and researchers will be involved in the International Polar Year (IPY) 2007-2008, actually a two-year period that will last from Mar. 1, 2007 to the same date in 2009.

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