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climate change strategy. Focusing on issues such as deforestation, renewable energy and emissions across key industry sectors, each constituent country committed to developing and implementing a plan aimed at slowing the current rate of global warming. Hopefully, such measures will preserve the beauty of the aurora borealis for future generations, that it may be enjoyed and admired for many years to come. Aside from their obvious importance, both as a wonder of the natural world and an integral factor in eco- tourism, the northern lights also hold a deep spiritual significance for many, and have done throughout history. Inuit legend says they are torches in the hands
of their ancestral spirits, lighting the way for the souls of the recently departed, to guide them to the hereafter. Their teachings allude to the lights acting as a conduit, through which they can converse with the generations who went before them. During the medieval period, occurrences of auroral displays were viewed less positively, and often seen as harbingers of war or famine. Most recently, late nineteenth and early twentieth century arctic explorers documented their feelings at witnessing the celestial pageantry of the aurora, their wonderment palpable through their journal entries.
Richard’s own experience of the northern lights was
34 FINE ART COLLECTOR SPRING 2017
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