In an article in National Geographic, Norway
has begun preparations for impending doom in
2012. It can be implied by the article that
Norway believes there will be a major catastrophe
to occur in 2012 and in order to preserve our
current way of life, Norway has created a “doomsday
seed bank”. Yes, thats correct… that
is Norway’s official name for their global
seed bank. The ultimate goal is for the continued
survival of plant species if (or when) there
is a global disaster. This storage of crops/seeds
will ensure regrowing of plants after the disaster
and ultimately lead to the continued survival
of human beings. If Norway is preparing for
2012 doomsday, shouldn’t you?
Single entrance of Norways “Doomsday” seed
vault. Image taken from National Geographic
Main Tunnel of Seed Vault. Image taken from
National Geographic
Refrigerated cooling units to keep vaults between
-20 and -10 degrees Celsius.
Image taken from National Geographic
The following article is from news.nationalgeographic.com
Deep in Norway’s frozen Svalbard archipelago
sits a high-tech facility that could save the
world. If global catastrophes like asteroid
impacts or disease pandemics were to strike,
seeds stored in this first ever “doomsday” vault
would ensure that humans could regrow the crops
needed for survival.
These crops, researchers say, are the raw
genetic materials needed for breeders to adapt
the global food supply to survive climate change,
water and energy shortages, and even shifts
in food preferences.
The trust is the leading force behind the
Svalbard Global Seed Vault, a repository built
by the Norwegian government to store backup
copies of as many as three million different
crop varieties.
Currently about 1,400 seed banks are in operation
worldwide, each serving as a genetic library
for anywhere from a handful to several thousand
different crop varieties.
The Norway vault will collect samples from
local banks in so-called black boxes. These
packages will stay unopened in the Svalbard
facility unless the need arises for a variety
that is otherwise used up or wiped out.
The mission is crucial, Fowler noted, because
the stored seeds provide researchers with the
raw genetic materials needed to adapt the global
food supply to survive climate change as well
as water and energy shortages.
