Fellowship Grant Awarded
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The Count of Krigsvold Fellowship (previously known as the Westarctica Conservation Scholarship) is an annual $1,000 grant dedicated to supporting graduate research in the field of climate change and global conservation.
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It has been awarded to Sheherazade, a PhD candidate in Environmental Sciences, Policy, and Management at the University of Berkeley. Her research stands at the intersection of rigorous scientific inquiry and meaningful community engagement, addressing forest governance in bioculturally diverse regions through the lens of Indigenous leadership and local well-being.
Nominate Someone for a Knighthood
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Did you know that anyone can receive a knighthood from Westarctica, even if they're not a citizen?
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Knighthoods may not be purchased, but must be earned through service to the nation or other noble deeds. They are awarded by the Grand Duke throughout the year, but traditionally announced on November 2nd (Westarctica's anniversary) to recognize significant achievements of our citizens and allies.
Become a Peer of Westarctica
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Since 2005, Westarctica has honored its supporters with noble titles in the Peerage of Westarctica. We're not pretending these titles will get you invited to Buckingham Palace to have tea with the King, but they do give you an opportunity to discuss the fragile state of Westarctica's ice sheet.
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Imagine trying to discuss the melting Albanus Glacier at a cocktail party... Not very interesting, right? But if you're telling them the Duchy of Albanus is melting into the ocean due to the challenges of climate change, NOW you've got their attention!
Global sea ice hit ‘all-time minimum’ in February
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Scientists called the news ‘particularly worrying’ because ice reflects sunlight and cools the planet.
Global sea ice fell to a record low in February, scientists have said, a symptom of an atmosphere fouled by planet-heating pollutants.
The combined area of ice around the north and south poles hit a new daily minimum in early February and stayed below the previous record for the rest of the month, the EU’s Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S) said on Thursday.
WESTARCTICA IN THE PRESS
The Wall Street Journal
22 June 2020
Grand Duke Travis ... claimed 620,000 square miles next to the South Pole on the basis that nobody else has, then registered Westarctica as a charity to raise awareness of how climate change is affecting wildlife in Antarctica.
Westarctica is moving steadily to establish a frozen foothold in the large unclaimed portion of the frozen continent. It professes an ambition to actually inhabit the land it's claimed, and then open it up to tourism. Better pack the long johns.
In 2004, Travis exploited a loophole in the Antarctic Treaty to name himself Grand Duke of Westarctica on Marie Byrd Land – but the US Navy, which disapproved of its lieutenant's territorial claims, forced him to abdicate.
Lonely Planet
September 2006
The Independent
30 November 2014
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