Reply #1: Arctic Warming At "Dizzying Pace" Sylvia Earle: "Ice-Free Arctic Means A Very Different Planet" [View All]

[hatrack]

WINNIPEG — The deteriorating state of the Arctic shows the world is running out of time to address global warming and complacency is the biggest obstacle to reversing the damage, international commissioners studying climate change said Thursday.

At a meeting in Winnipeg, commissioners from the Aspen Institute said the Arctic is a bellwether for the rest of the world. The North is warming at a dizzying pace, losing sea ice and threatening both residents and wildlife, they said.

The Arctic also acts as the world’s cooling system and, without it, they say life on Earth is at risk. “An ice-free Arctic means a very different planet, full stop,” said Sylvia Earle, explorer-in-residence with National Geographic and one of the commissioners studying the issue. “It will resonate globally . . . We have to take some action. We have no time. We are out of time. The next 10 years will really determine, in a major way, the future of civilization.”

The international Aspen Commission on Arctic Climate Change is examining the affects of global warming on the North and making recommendations for better international co-operation to protect the region. Made up of prominent scientist, policy-makers, corporations and indigenous groups, the commission is expected to attend the United Nations meeting on climate change in Copenhagen, Denmark, at the end of the year to raise awareness about the role of the North.

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