Having spent most of her adult life in the European Arctic, Kerstin was able to experience climate change first hand. A particularly eye-opening experience was the encounter with a totally emaciated bear, whose image became viral on the internet - and inspired her and many others to become more involved in climate action.

Born and raised in Germany, Kerstin went to Iceland for a gap year - and has not really returned since. After finishing her studies of Natural Resources and Range Management in Iceland, she decided to follow her greatest passions: her love for the Arctic and photography. Amongst other things she worked for Greenpeace in Sweden, trained Huskies in Norway and studied for one year in Longyearbyen, Svalbard, to become an 'Arctic Nature Guide'. As such she now spends most of her year in the polar areas where she works as an expedition guide with focus on environmental topics, and as a nature photographer.
Her pictures have been internationally awarded and published in numerous magazines and books. In 2015, her image of an emaciated polar bear became an icon for climate change. More than 25.000 people have seen her live photo presentations that aim at showing the beauty and interesting culture of the European Arctic, but also the sensitivity and the need to actively protect it.

This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at http://ted.com/tedx