Frontiers of Climate Change
How might we help people feel more closely connected to the impacts of global warming?
Why Iceland?
Climate issues are pretty hard to ignore in Iceland. Glaciers that once dominated much of the skyline are melting at a markedly fast pace, and the changing landscape has ripple effects across local livelihoods.
For visitors, being in Iceland and understanding climate change with all our senses — not just knowing it’s happening but feeling it — can impact how we connect with nature and the reality facing our world. How do we make the urgency of climate change and environmental science more accessible? How can we share our first-hand experience in Iceland with a wider audience?
INSIGHTS + PROJECTS
On every Atlas Workshops program, the group works on an inquiry with real-world implications. Through intentional exploration, engagement with locals and experts, and team activities, students generate new insights and ideas about the topics, places, and global issues they’re investigating.
For some groups, the program incorporates a more extensive project—an opportunity to apply our learning and stretch our creative thinking by making something tangible or public.
We work to share the ideas and inspiration we find in the world, with the world, through collaborative initiatives and student expression. We can also work with you to develop a custom project or publish students’ insights via exhibition, photography, digital or print media, or other format.
Suggested Itinerary
Students will investigate the project question by getting to know Iceland as a place, along with the people who live there, tinkering with ideas together to apply what they are learning, and sharing reflections, insights, and aha moments with others.
Scoping the Impact of Climate Change: 1-4 Nights
Reykjavik and Selfoss
We’ll launch our project in Iceland’s capital and nearby countryside. As we get to know Iceland, we’ll take a look at how the country’s culture is shaped by its unique geography and climate, and see the ways that Icelanders are currently telling the story of their country.
Melting Glaciers Up Close: 2-3 Nights
The Southern Coast and Vatnajokull
Getting further along the coast, we’ll explore glaciers and their surrounding communities up close and mark how the landscape has changed over time. From guided glacier hikes to a visit to Jokulsarlon (glacier lagoon and the adjacent “diamond beach”), our up-close look at glacial melt will give us a chance to see and feel the changing ice first-hand. We’ll also talk with locals and experts about the effects of warming temperatures on their livelihoods (especially in fishing and tourism) and the area’s environment and history as they know it - or knew it in the past.
Changing Iceland and Project Output: 2-4 Nights
Reykjavik via the Golden Circle
As we loop back toward our starting point, we’ll make stops at some of the stunning sites that have put Iceland on the tourism map: picturesque waterfalls, geysers and hot springs, and the continental divide at Thingvellir. Over the last day or two, we’ll use the inspiration and ideas from our trip experience to bring our experience to a close and decide how to share our work with a broader audience.
Want to Learn More?
Custom Programs & Modifications
We have designed this itinerary to maximize the value and breadth of our project and program. We can modify any program, or we can plan an entirely custom program. This itinerary could be adapted to focus on more specific learning outcomes, visit different regions, hit a different price point, combine with another program, or cover a longer or shorter schedule based on the group’s needs.
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You can also check our programming in Iceland, request a custom program, or explore other related programs here:
