Activists in Iceland attempted to get the Snæfellsjökull glacier included on the ballot for the country’s presidential election in June in an effort to bring focus to climate change. While they failed to gather the required signatures to nominate the glacier, campaigners are hoping this will generate interest and prepare for the next elections. The glacier, around 700,000 years old, is on track to disappear over the next fifty years, according to campaigners. Iceland’s presidency requirements make Snæfellsjökull a plausible candidate, as Iceland’s president must be over 35 years old and have a clean criminal record.
Campaign member Cody Skahan said the quixotic initial attempt to run Snæfellsjökull developed momentum and intrigue among Iceland’s public. The campaign collective behind the idea planned to establish a council of experts composed of climate scientists, artists, and glaciologists to represent the glacier’s interests. Skahan stated that the glacier would function as a president that would veto any bill that increased carbon emissions or otherwise harmed its ecosystem.
The idea to promote Snæfellsjökull to president came from the global Rights of Nature movement, which seeks to legislate that mountains, oceans, and rivers have the same legal rights as human beings. Reaction to the proposed nomination was divisive, with support divided primarily among age groups, with younger people displaying greater enthusiasm than their older counterparts. Icelanders required 1,500 signatures to include Snæfellsjökull on the ballot and ultimately secured 300. Campaigners are now considering the glacier’s role in the next parliamentary election in four years as they continue to promote awareness of environmental stewardship
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