Environment

Lapland town goes viral with Summer Olympics bid to raise climate awareness

Helsinki, Feb 14 (efe-epa).- The remote town of Salla in Finland’s northernmost Lapland region has gone viral with a fake bid to host the 2032 Summer Olympic Games, a comical gag with a serious message on the perils of the climate crisis.

The video campaign titled “Save Salva. Save the Planet” has garnered over 250 million views since its launch at the end of last month, according to promoters.

It features members of the local community preparing for the Summer Games, training in sports such as beach volleyball and surfing on the snow and ice in and around the town.

“Warm heart, we already have it. Warm place, coming soon,” one participant says.

“If we want to do something to stop climate change, then we need all people around the world,” Erkki Parkkinen, the local mayor, told Efe.

The Save Salla campaign was launched with the support of Fridays for Future, the student climate movement spearheaded by Greta Thunberg.

Climate experts warn that the Earth’s poles are the most vulnerable to an accelerated impact of climate change as ice caps melt faster each summer and recover more slowly in the winter. Arctic permafrost harbors large quantities of methane and carbon dioxide, which will be released when the ground begins to thaw. These gases will further contribute to global warming.EFE-EPA

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