The Arctic Circle is Home to… a World Wide Seed Vault?!

Wow!  I must admit that I had never thought of an idea like this, nor did I realize that this could actually exist.  This is, literally, a world wide seed vault that exists in the Arctic Circle.  It's purpose is to conserve thousands of varieties of seeds that farmers may need in the future if climate change or other catastrophes cause too much damage to food crops.

Where is this seed vault?  It's located geo-politically in Norway and is called the Svalbard Global Seed Vault.  Plants' seeds are always being catalogued and stored in the seed vault in order to provide options for adapting agriculture in the future.

Is the United States involved in this vault?  You bet.  Representatives from the Global Seed Vault recently visited the U.S. to get Congress' help to build the seed vault's endowment from $135 million to $500 million.  The reason given for the large increase is so that interest from the endowment will provide the finances for the continuation of the seeds' protection.

Watch the short video below, which was made just after the seed vault was constructed.