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Safe Seeds

There are millions of different kinds of seeds in the world, and soon they will all be protected from global disaster.

North of the Arctic Circle – actually as far north in the world as any commercial air flight will go – scientists are building a $3 million subzero seed vault on a remote island in Norway. The high-security vault will hold up to 3 million varieties of seeds that would help replenish the world’s food supplies and diverse vegetation in the event of global disaster.

Though roughly 1,400 seed banks already exist, most are working vaults that allow access to researchers and breeders. The Norwegian vault would be opened just once or twice a year to add new seeds and check on the old ones. The bank would be completely secure, not only from unwanted visitors, but also from the hazards of war and potential problems such as global warming. Researchers feel certain that even if the earth continues to warm, the arctic locale of Svalbard would remain one of the coldest places on the planet.

Creation of the vault is the result of a collaborative effort between more than 100 nations. It is expected to begin receiving seeds sometime next year.

To read more about this story, please read the article in the Washington Post.

To read more about this and other environmental health issues, go to: www.environmentalhealthnews.org, www.ourstolenfuture.org, or www.healthandenvironment.org