Ed Miliband, the UK’s first Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, made his first visit to the British Council last month.  He attended the launch of a digital exhibition of photography and film from British Council Canada’s Cape Farewell Youth Expedition 2008.

Entitled ‘Youth and Climate Change’, the digital exhibition includes photographs taken by Canadian artist Robert vanWaarden, an exhilarating film clip shot by Bafta-winning British film company Big Heart Media and a map produced by Canadian Geographic magazine. The exhibition is designed to be projected in any location and can be used for indoor or outdoor display.

It documents the extraordinary educational voyage that sailed to the Arctic in September as part of the British Council’s work in climate change.  The expedition took 28 high school students from both hemispheres to witness the effects of climate change firsthand and to work with artists and scientists to develop an emotional and imaginative approach to understanding and communicating the effects of climate change on our world.

The Secretary of State listened to seven of the voyagers speak movingly about their experiences, and encouraged the British Council to continue its work in bringing young people together to raise awareness of the climate crisis.

Following speeches by Martin Davidson and Lord Kinnock, Mr Miliband talked of the sense of history, and thus responsibility, associated with his new role. He paid tribute to the voyagers’ calls for strong leadership, and talked of his own hopes for international progress in light of the new Obama administration.

“Climate change is a multinational, omnipresent and multigenerational issue” says Martin Rose, Director Canada. “To confront it over a long period of time we need to change the way we imagine and treat our world. Success requires the fundamental cultural relations instruments of mutual knowledge, mutual trust and joint action”.

“The voyage has given these young people the opportunity to tackle the issue more effectively”, Martin added, “equipping them with the tools to lead their generation out of the climate crisis.  The voyagers are appearing on national television, writing books and addressing audiences up to six thousand strong”.

The exhibition, which opens in Mexico later this month and which will be displayed in Canadian Provincial Parliaments over the next six months, will be shown in many locations worldwide.

For more information about the voyage itself please go to www.capefarewellcanada.ca