Book – Obituary for the Arctic

Svalbard is considered the “Arctic in a nutshell” and basically delivers everything that defines the Arctic in its diversity, wildness and beauty. But the problems that massively affect the Arctic are also omnipresent on Svalbard. Birgit Lutz, journalist, polar guide and book author, who has called this region her second home for many years, has published a new book in which she takes readers on a journey to Svalbard, highlighting the problems but also encouraging them to take steps on a path for new solutions.

To put it right up front: The book “Nachruf auf die Arktis” by Birgit Lutz is no lightweight, both in terms of size (496 pages spread over 724 grams) and content. However, this does not refer to the comprehensibility, but to the subject matter. Because it is about nothing less than the future of the Arctic and in the end also about our dealings with our planet using the example of Svalbard. Here, as in many parts of the Arctic, climate change is occurring up to 4 times faster than elsewhere in the world, causing glaciers to melt, the sea to freeze over later and later, and extreme weather events to occur more frequently. Meanwhile, visitors who are actually still looking for the unspoiled nature at 80° north wil find the products of our everyday life in the form of nets, plastic bottles and bags, and sometimes even whole pieces of clothing. All this holds the author, who is for years up there and knows the region like her homeland Schliersee in Bavaria, unsparingly before eyes of the readership. Embedded in a description of a journey, such as Birgit Lutz always leads, she skillfully leads the attention from the unique beauty of the Arctic (presented in the form of pictures in the book) to the less beautiful sides of Svalbard.

A person who has spent so much time in the Arctic, like Birgit Lutz, and has made so many experiences, met people and also written and lectured about them, could now easily just research more facts about the topics and then publish them as a book provided with her own opinion and thoughts. But in this case, the author goes a big step further and not only puts her own thoughts and descriptions on paper, but also lets experts have their say in describing the issues. Whether it’s complex topics like sea ice physics, oceanography, meteorology, or greenhouse gas emissions, or even ethical and psychological issues like why people deny man-made climate change or how to do good even though it seems wrong, time and again the book’s individual chapters cleverly interweave expert insights. This gives the reader a broader view of what Birgit Lutz describes for Svalbard in her usual clear manner. And unlike many books that also deal with the problematic issues of the Arctic, she doesn’t end with a somber view at a dark future. Rather, she presents possibilities, ways and proposed solutions how each person individually and the whole society can make their contribution to face the problems. The motto is to encourage people and spread optimism instead of moping around and doing nothing.

Birgit Lutz’s book is not meant to be taken to Svalbard in one’s luggage. But not because it’s too heavy or the topics are too depressing or too complex, but because you’d miss all the events going on outside because one keeps on reading. At no point are readers left alone or lose context. The author manages to maintain the suspense of the topic throughout the 496 pages without getting too technical or scientific. The experts’ blocks are also written and illustrated in a very understandable way, creating a bridge between science and society. A book that, despite the seriousness of the subject, wants to encourage, whether one has already been to Svalbard or the Arctic or not. Because it concerns each and every one of us. Together with “Spitsbergen Svalbard” by Rolf Stange, Birgit Lutz’s book should certainly be with every Arctic fan and preferably in every good library, so that the “obituary for the Arctic” does not simply go unheard.

Dr Michael Wenger, PolarJournal

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