A backup for humanity, under the Arctic ice

Documentary photographer ­Christian Clauwers of the Rotary Club of Antwerpen-Oost has been travelling around the world for more than a decade to capture the effects of global warming. His photos show what is in danger of being lost, and in that sense they are a major wake-up call. For his latest project, he managed to gain exclusive access to the world seed bank on Spitsbergen in the Svalbard island group.

“Only three people have a key to the Global Seed Vault, where ‘spare copies’ of food crop seeds from around the world are kept. The repository, deep in the permafrost, acts as a ‘backup’ for national seed banks, documenting and safeguarding local crops. This protects their biodiversity from potential catastrophes, such as natural disasters, devastating wars or advancing climate change,” Clauwers says.

On one of his expeditions to the high Arctic, Clauwers happened to catch sight of the monumental entrance to the seed bank. He immediately became fascinated by what would be behind that heavy door. “You have to imagine: You are there at 78 degrees north latitude, and 1,000 kilometres away is the North Pole. In between there is virtually nothing. There is a bone-dry desert climate. And just here, the Norwegian government has built a facility to serve the global community, a kind of safety net for the genetic diversity of our agricultural crops.”

It took Clauwers more than six months to gain access to the Global Seed Vault. Eventually, one of the people in charge granted permission. “He realised that I didn’t want to get in for kicks or to capitalise on it professionally. It fit into my overall narrative about the fragility of our Earth and the protection it deserves,” he says. “We met a few months later at Longyearbyen airport. After all the passengers on my flight had left, he came to pick me up. While he stocked a new shipment of seeds, I was free to walk around the seed bank. I had the immense good fortune that just that day, Cary Fowler, the American agricultural expert who is a co-founder of the world seed bank, was also present. I was able to interview him for the book I am currently compiling.”

Clauwers’ book Frozen Heritage, Arctic Vaults and the Future of Our ­History was published in November.

Duplicates of 1,301,397 seed samples from almost every country in the world are stored under the ice. The total storage capacity accommodates some 4.5 million copies. The seeds are kept in airtight containers at a constant temperature of about minus 18 degrees Celsius (about 0 degrees Fahrenheit). This keeps them storable for a long time. When Syria’s national seed bank was badly damaged during the civil war there, the Global Seed Vault proved its worth. ­Syrian scientists came to collect seeds to replenish their collection. “The seeds are at the end of a 130-metre-long tunnel leading to three freezing chambers, designed to withstand any catastrophe,” Clauwers says. “Ironically, climate change is also making itself felt here: In 2017, meltwater seeped into the bunker and flooded the access tunnel. Fortunately, the storage rooms themselves remained safeguarded.”

Clauwers was able to take a look at the forerunner of the Global Seed Vault. “In an abandoned coal mine, also on Svalbard, the Nordic Genetic Resource Centre stored 20 wooden crates with seeds of Scandinavian plant varieties as early as 1986,” he says. “Each crate contains the same seeds. One is opened every five years to check the viability of the seeds, and for any pathogens. The experiment will continue until the last samples have been analysed in 2086.”

There is a third international storage centre on Svalbard, albeit of a different order. The Arctic World Archive stores data of a cultural, historical and scientific nature considered essential to humanity. “The data is stored on a special pellicle (thin film) developed by the Norwegian company Piql. It is designed to last for thousands of years,” Clauwers says. “The data is captured analogously and digitally, so it will remain readable even if current technology were to be lost. The idea behind this is to protect crucial data of humanity should a global calamity occur. The site is designed to be resistant to nuclear attacks and electromagnetic pulses.”

Countries, institutions, organisations and companies can store data in the Arctic World Archive. Clauwers himself made the first Belgian contribution there: a number of photos that bear witness to climate change. “It includes 26 photos from my project in the Pacific, which documents how islands like Tuvalu, Kiribati and Marshall Islands are in danger of disappearing because of rising sea level. In this way, I want to give islanders a voice,” he says.

“The current climate evolution saddens me,” Clauwers says. “I am a born optimist, but as far as the climate is concerned, it is one past midnight. Irreparable damage has been done. The consequences are hard to predict but are becoming visible everywhere. I am constantly in contact with top scientists and policymakers. We have entered a phase where we need to minimise the damage. Unfortunately, society does not seem to perceive the climate issue as acute lately. … I regularly give lectures to high school students. I feel they want to take responsibility, and that makes me hopeful.”

That Rotary has also made the environment and climate a focus in recent years is warmly welcomed by Clauwers. “That has even been the decisive factor for me to become a Rotarian. Rotary also regularly enables me to spread my message,” he says. “Some time ago, for instance, I was in the Philippines, where I had the opportunity to give talks at the Rotary clubs of Manila and Cebu. These were about a photography project on the Olango archipelago, which is also in danger… due to its low elevation. I also gave a lecture in Hawaii in 2023 at the Rotary Club of Honolulu Sunset. Even there, the consequences of global warming are visible. Being among Rotarians is always nice. Moreover, I like to reach out to them with insights about climate change. In the end, everything starts with knowledge, and I try to transfer that, by means of my photos, in a visual way.”

Photographs: © Christian Clauwers

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