The award recognizes scientific and academic initiatives that are action-oriented and hold potential for addressing the challenges and critical needs posed by climate change. The prize comes with a 100,000-euro unrestricted grant intended to help develop the ideas through outreach, engagement, and communication.

The winning initiative is led by Associate Professor Alexander Tøsdal Tveit from UiT The Arctic University of Norway; Professor Lisa Y. Stein from the University of Alberta, Canada; and Research Scientist Fang Qian from the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in the United States. Their BIOSINK project aims to capture methane directly from the air using bacteria that originate from Arctic environments. These soil bacteria naturally inhabit diverse soil environments and consume up to 50 million tons of methane annually as their primary carbon and energy source. Methane consuming soil bacteria offers a potential solution for climate change mitigation by counterbalancing escalating greenhouse gas emissions. The team plans to encapsulate these bacteria in biofilters to convert methane emissions from waste, fossil fuels, agriculture, and other sources into biomass that may be used as fertilizer or feed additive in farming and aquaculture. The BIOSINK project can significantly impact Arctic and global societies by providing a viable method to reduce atmospheric methane and combat climate change.

“We are honored to receive this award which recognizes the potential of our project. While our project is just one of many possible solutions to address climate change, this recognition highlights the role that innovation can play in the coming years. We are very grateful for this encouragement to continue our work,” Alexander Tøsdal Tveit says.

The winner was selected from a shortlist of three nominations.

The Frederik Paulsen Arctic Academic Action Award is a collaboration between Arctic Circle and UArctic. To learn more, visit www.uarctic.org/actionaward.

 

The Frederik Paulsen Arctic Academic Action Award provides high-level recognition for innovative ideas that transform knowledge into action to help address the impacts of climate change in the Arctic. The prize comes with a 100,000 euro unrestricted grant that is intended to help develop the ideas through outreach, engagement, and communication. The award is named after Dr Frederik Paulsen who has been a prominent supporter of scientific research and collaboration in the polar regions for decades.

Arctic Circle is the largest network of international dialogue and cooperation on the future of the Arctic and our planet. It is an open democratic platform with participation from governments, organizations, corporations, universities, think tanks, environmental associations, Indigenous communities, concerned citizens, and others. It is nonprofit and nonpartisan.

UArctic is a network of nearly 200 universities, colleges, research institutes, and other organizations concerned with education and research in and about the Arctic. UArctic builds and strengthens collective resources and infrastructures that enable member institutions to better serve their constituents and their regions. Through cooperation in education, research, and outreach UArctic enhances human capacity in the North, promotes viable communities and sustainable economies, and forges global partnerships.

 

Media queries

Arctic Circle:
Vendela Gebbie vendela@arcticcircle.org 

UArctic:
International Secretariat secretariat@uarctic.org