2 Poles + 2 Degrees = 2 Much
2009 is a very important year for our polar regions. In December, world leaders will meet at the UN climate change conference in Copenhagen, Denmark to negotiate a global agreement on emissions reductions that would take over from the Kyoto Protocol when it expires in 2012. It is widely understood to be our last chance to coordinate global efforts to reduce the world’s greenhouse gas emissions before those emissions begin to trigger potentially unstoppable effects.
The northern and southern polar regions are sending urgent signals that climate change is happening more rapidly than was previously predicted. The impacts of these changes will not only affect the Polar Regions but will also have profound consequences for the rest of the world.
In April 2009, the nations that manage our polar regions have two opportunities to send a clear signal to the rest of the world that they are willing to shoulder their responsibilities and take the necessary steps in Copenhagen.
2 Poles + 2 Degrees = 2 Much
To stop dangerous climate change we must keep global average temperature rise under two degrees. If we do not, feedbacks from the Arctic and Antarctic will likely raise global temperatures, bring droughts and floods, and raise sea levels to the extent that hundreds of millions of people will be threatened.
World leaders need to negotiate a fair, effective and science based climate deal later this year in Copenhagen. The agreement needs to reduce those emissions by 25 percent to 40 cent by 2020 in order to keep the global temperature rise well under two degrees.
Those responsible for conserving and managing our polar environments have a duty to show leadership ahead of the Copenhagen Climate meeting.
Their first opportunity to send this message is at the annual Antarctic Treaty Consultative Meeting (ATCM) hosted by the United States from April 6th to April 17th.
The year's meeting marks the 50th anniversary of the Antarctic Treaty and the end of the International Polar Year. To celebrate, US Secretary of State Hilary Clinton will host a meeting of Foreign Ministers from the Arctic Council countries and Antarctic Treaty countries in Washington, representing the first time leaders from both poles will have met in a joint session.
The second opportunity will be when the Arctic Council meets on April 29th.
WWF is the only conservation organisation in the world with both Arctic and Antarctic programs, and has worked on polar conservation issues for more than 30 years We provide a powerful, effective and co-ordinated voice for both Polar Regions.
One of WWF’s founders, Sir Peter Scott, the son of Antarctic explorer Robert Falcon Scott, first visited Antarctica in 1966 and said "We should have the sense to leave just one place alone".
Now, in 2009, the world is at a crossroads and no place is safe from climate change unless strong action is taken this year to avoid it.
We need your help to have a voice in Copenhagen.
8 reasons to take action on climate change
We know that two degrees of warming is way too much for the poles. Already rapid change is damaging these beautiful and unique regions in the world.
Read here for eight major areas of concern
Impacts of 2 degrees global warming in Antarctic Penguins
A new study commissioned by WWF which combines state-of-the art climate models with latest scientific knowledge on penguin ecology clearly demonstrates that Antarctic penguins are in jeopardy. The research shows that 50% of the colonies of the iconic Emperor penguin and 75% Adelie penguin colonies face marked decline or disappearance if global temperature is allowed to rise 2 degrees above pre-industrial levels. 2 degrees global warming could be a reality in less than 40 years; reduced sea ice coverage and thickness would make it increasingly difficult for some penguins o hunt and to breed.
Read the report here.
Establishing Effective Climate Change Monitoring in the Southern Ocean
Climate Change in Antarctica and the Southern Ocean will have profound effects on the almost pristine last great wilderness on earth. However climate change effects in the Southern Ocean can also have far-reaching effects on the rest of the planet as well. To date research into how quickly the continent is changing has been limited by its isolation and extreme weather conditions. Read the Southern Ocean Sentinel
