Two UK students, Emma Biermann and Casper ter Kuile, have joined young representatives from eight other countries on WWF's Voyage for the Future, a 10-day boat trip around the Arctic during which the students witness the impacts of climate change first-hand. Find out what's happening on Emma's and Casper's blogs.



All 18 students are part of the WWF Network's 'ambassadors of change' programme. They represent the generation that will witness first-hand the impacts of climate change, and will work with the WWF Network in their home countries to deliver a message to politicians and media that urgent action is needed to tackle this global threat.

The trip gives them the chance to learn from experts in the field, taking part in on-shore research activities and hearing about potential solutions to climate change – as well as seeing how it is affecting the Arctic.

Air temperatures in the region have on average increased by about 5°C over the last 100 years, and recent findings suggest that all Arctic summer ice could be lost by 2013.

Casper became aware of the environment, and what he could do about it, in 2005 when he was a delegate to the World Youth Congress. He is passionate about empowering and motivating young people to live low-carbon lives, and is keen to demonstrate that anyone can be an eco-hero.

Emma is involved in campaigning and awareness-raising with various groups at her university.

She considers the human-induced effects on the Earth's ecosystems and climate change to be one of the biggest security threats today for both people and planet.

After their voyage, both will meet their MPs and call on them to support a strong, effective Climate Change Bill – something WWF-UK is campaigning for.

Left unchecked, climate change will be devastating for species, habitats and people. To ensure the UK contributes its fair share towards avoiding the worst impacts of a warming planet, we need the UK Climate Change Bill to commit us to reducing carbon emissions by at least 80% by 2050, and to include international aviation and shipping – the fastest growing sources of UK emissions.