| Melting Ice: Regional
Dramas, Global Wake-Up Call
|
Former Vice President Al Gore, foreign
ministers and climate change scientists will meet on April 28 in the
town of Tromso in Northern Norway to discuss the impacts of melting
ice in Antarctica, the Arctic and mountain areas worldwide
(WORLD-WIRE) TROMSO, Norway, April 22, 2009
/PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The conference Melting Ice: Regional
Dramas, Global Wake-Up Call takes place on April 28, the day before
the Arctic Council's annual ministerial meeting on April 29. A number
of foreign ministers from the Arctic Council states and several
observer states are expected to attend. The Arctic Council states are
the United States, Russia, Canada, Sweden, Denmark, Finland, Iceland
and Norway. The event will be co-hosted by Mr. Gore and Norway's
Foreign Minister, Mr. Jonas Gahr Store.
The Arctic is already being affected by climate change, with
temperatures rising twice as fast as the global average. A changing
Arctic in turn affects the global climate. Polar sea ice in the Arctic
reflects much of the incoming solar energy. As the ice melts, this
energy is absorbed by the ocean, leading to more warming with global
effects. Large-scale melting of the Greenland ice sheet would lead to
a rise in sea levels, threatening coastal and low-lying areas around
the world.
The situation in the Arctic can be seen as a warning to the rest of
the world. Climate change scientists say that over the next few
decades, 1.3 billion people will be threatened by more serious
flooding, followed by the loss of drinking water, as their rivers
swell and then dry up. Many of the world's main rivers depend on
meltwater from the mountains for part of the year. Scientists predict
that ice and snow in the mountains that feed these rivers will melt
away because of global warming. Rivers flowing from the Himalayas, the
Andes Mountains, the Rocky Mountains and the Alps will be affected. In
Asia, the Himalayas are the source of seven of the continent's largest
rivers. These and other rivers from the mountains of Central Asia are
vital to the livelihoods of 40% of the world's population.
Information for the media:
- For details of the programme, accreditation and accommodation
please see:
www.regjeringen.no/meltingice
- Please note that journalists wishing to cover the conference on
location must be accredited by Friday, April 24.
- For broadcast media we offer video highlights and background
video of Arctic landscapes via an FTP-server. Pre-registration is
required. Please email Christian Hansson cha@mfa.no for access
instructions.
- Live feeds of sound and picture will be available.
- Live streaming over the internet will be available at
www.regjeringen.no/meltingice
- A summary of the conference by Mr. Gore and Mr. Store will be
available on April 28 at 6 PM Norwegian time at
www.regjeringen.no/meltingice Please contact Christian Hansson
for any questions, telephone +47 22 24 28 01, mobile +47 468 46 866,
email cha@mfa.no
- For a hi-res photo of Foreign Minister Jonas Gahr Store and Mr.
Al Gore, please email arst@mfa.no
CONTACT:
Christian Hansson of Embassy of Norway
+47 22 24 28 01
mobile: +47 468 46 866
cha@mfa.no
|
|