Permafrost seed bank

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The Norwegian government will hollow out a cave on the ice-bound island of Spitsbergen to hold a seed bank. This seed vault is an answer to a call from the international community to provide the best possible assurance of safety for the world's crop diversity. There are currently about 1,400 seed banks around the world, but a large number of these are located in countries that are either politically unstable or that will possibly face threats from the natural environment. The idea is that the gene bank will serve as a back-up. Permafrost and thick rock will ensure that even without electricity, the samples will remain frozen.

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The number of seeds and types of plants in the bank would be determined by the countries wishing to use it. Bill Gates is supposed to have invested Â±15 million Euro / Â±20 million dollar into this project and the Norwegian government Â±5 million Euro / Â±7 million Dollar. I should say that in this light, the Post-Armageddon nature is determined by the politics of today.

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Drawings: Global Crop Diversity Trust

regjeringen.no | croptrust.org | pooljaar.nl (video-on-location, in Dutch!) | news.bbc.co.uk

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