Multimedia animations

In this section you will find several animations designed and produced by the International Polar Foundation on different topics linked to the polar regions, the way our planet's climate functions, climate change, biodiversity and energy.

Most of these animations are available as CD-ROMS in various languages. Please contact us for more information.

Coal: plant debris more than 200 million year old!

15.12.2006

There are three sources of fossil energy: coal, oil and gas. These are natural reserves that can be found buried beneath our feet. Formed from organic deposits (plants or microscopic animal matter), all of these sources of energy take several…
Grey energy: hidden expenditure of energy

08.12.2006

Grey energy is the energy hidden in a product, i.e. the amount of energy required to extract that product from nature, or to cultivate, manufacture, package and transport it. Objects can conceal very different levels of grey energy: for example…
The different types of energy: fossil, atomic and renewable

01.12.2006

The various sources of energy fall into three different categories: Fossil energies, which are produced from the combustion of natural reservesformed from organic deposits (plants or microscopic animal matter)over several millions of years. Nuclear or atomic energy, produced from the…
The route taken by energy: “From the power station to the computer”

13.10.2006

Taking energy from where it is created to where it is used requires a great deal of organisation. Energy is carried along what we call "networks": the network that carries electricity is called a "grid". There are also distribution networks…
Energy vectors: “How we convert natural energy into man-made energy”

06.10.2006

After making direct use of natural energy (such as using the wind to propel a boat forward), then converting it into more useful forms of energy (in mills, for example), humans discovered that they could convert natural energy into other…
Measuring energy: “how much chocolate do you need to run a washing machine?”

29.09.2006

Sources of energy include water, sun and the wind, as well as certain matter, such as food, oil and uranium. Each of these sources is usually measured in different units (calories, litres, kilos, etc.)In 1849, it was established for certain…
Overall balance of the Earth: “the sun, the world’s driving force”

22.09.2006

The Earth obtains most of its energy from the sun and then sends it back into space again through the atmosphere. However, the greenhouse gases contained in the atmosphere hold on to this energy for a short time before releasing…
Converting energy

15.09.2006

Every action requires energy to be converted for the action to take place. This conversion is governed by the following two main rules: the total amount of energy in the universe is constant and never changes; energy can be converted…
What is energy?

08.09.2006

Almost everything around us either produces or consumes energy. This energy may be contained in motion, as well as in stationary objects that release energy when they begin to move. The sun is the main source of energy for the…