Erkki Parkinnen, the mayor of Salla, located in the Finnish province of Lapland, 20 miles from the Arctic Circle, says he enjoys the weather this winter. The temperature of 14 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 10 degrees Celsius) may seem pretty cold to some, but the 3,400 residents of this city are used to the cold.
They love frozen rivers and lakes and deer walking through the unspoiled, snow-covered forests of Northern Finland. But the rise in temperatures around the world and unpredictable weather anomalies associated with climate change are of great concern to them.
To draw the world’s attention to these global climate changes, the city’s municipality, led by the mayor, has submitted a comic bid to host the 2032 Summer Olympics. “Maybe people will start thinking more about this problem,” says the mayor. – If they decide that it makes sense to save the Arctic, then maybe they will start doing something for their cities, for their countries. It will be good for them and for us. “
No, the Lapps don’t want to win the competition to host the Summer Olympics in 2032. “We don’t want to be the ‘most suitable’ place for this,” explains Parkinnen. “But if the world doesn’t react quickly, then Salla can be used to swim and play beach volleyball.” The city administration even attached a small video clip to its application, which shows how in 10 years they will be able to hold water sports competitions on the ice-free neighboring lake. There, a woman pulls on a volleyball net on the beach, “when the snow turns to sand,” and the skateboarder announces that he is preparing to demonstrate “cool tricks” at the games. “Thank you, global warming,” he concludes derisively.
Newspaper headline:
Summer in the Arctic Circle?