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Portsmouth, NH (Vocus) October 21, 2009 — New science from scientists just returned from the poles indicates that sea level rise of a meter or more is likely as a result of melting and “dynamic changes” in ice sheets in the Arctic and Antarctic, threatening coastal cities worldwide this century.

The U.S. East Coast is particularly vulnerable to the new higher estimates of sea-level rise, and Clean Air – Cool Planet (CA-CP), a non-profit focused exclusively on solving the global warming problem, is getting the word out.

Together with local organizations, CA-CP is hosting coastal community roundtables and outreach events in Philadelphia, PA; Portland, ME; Hampton, NH; Norfolk, VA; Wilmington, NC; and Miami, St. Petersburg, and Tampa, FL over the next two weeks.

The scientists' "Hip Boot Tour" will culminate in November with stops to be announced in New York City and Washington, DC.

Each event will feature presentations by scientists currently involved in snow-and-ice research at the poles, and who have contributed to new research to be released by the Arctic Council in conjunction with the Copenhagen climate talks this December.

"Our colleagues in the Arctic science community have uncovered startling new evidence that we are losing the world’s ice reservoirs much faster than predicted in the last report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change,” said Arctic policy expert Brooks Yeager of CA-CP. “Basically, the estimates of likely sea-level rise have gone from knee-high to chest-high in the last five years, as the melting is outstripping even the previous worst-case scenario.”

Yeager noted that new and more accurate science – revealing more rapid changes in the polar regions – is responsible for the new projections. “The scientists are now more comfortable with saying that these increases are ‘likely’ or ‘probable’ as well – which is good news for science, but bad news for us,” Yeager said.

The roundtable events, which will be co-sponsored by Clean Air-Cool Planet and local organizations in each city, will feature new maps and TV-ready animations that are the most detailed yet for sifting out exactly which local landmarks are most at risk in the metropolitan areas the tour will visit.

“We really want to deliver a message that you, as a regular person, should care about this – because it's happening, and it's happening soon,” Yeager said. “But there are solutions, and we’re bringing those, too.”

In addition to presenting the science, each symposium will also feature a discussion of available policy solutions, including strong national efforts to reduce greenhouse gases through federal cap-and-trade legislation, and to catalyze the economy into shifting to clean energy and highly efficient vehicles, homes, appliances, and factories.

“We’ve also been working for some time on international efforts to reduce short-lived pollutants that scientists tell us are accelerating the melting in the Arctic,” Yeager said. “By cutting emissions of black carbon from agricultural burning and diesel fuel, and reducing methane and tropospheric ozone, which don’t last very long in the atmosphere, we can significantly reduce warming in the region and ‘buy time for the Arctic’ – which also buys time for the rest of the planet.”

The U.S. is involved in these efforts, Yeager said. “We hope it will be enough time for us to take action on carbon dioxide pollution of the atmosphere, which is the main problem.”

The Hip Boot Tour's maps and demonstrations of how high a meter is – using actual hip boots, blue tape, and creatively employing a Mylar-festooned Hula Hoop – make it clear that the cost of the cleaning up the damage or adapting with sea walls and other infrastructure would dwarf the cost of switching to clean energy or cutting carbon dioxide.

“The bottom line is, if we want to keep the sea water where it is, we have to act quickly,” Yeager said. “The good news is, we have what we need. We just need to do it.”

For a full schedule of events and further information, please see http://www.hipboottour.info.

(Vocus) October 26, 2009 — The presentation will include animations, available on broadcast-ready B-rolls, reflecting the newest, most detailed current research on the potential effects of sea level rise. We will also offer those animations in a compressed format suitable for posting to a web site.

There will be two elements to the event:

• Dr. Robert Bindschadler, NASA Chief Scientist, and Dr. Jim White, Professor at The University of Colorado at Boulder, will offer observations from their experiences at 10:00 AM at Old Dominion University. The event, presented in association with ODU and Wetlands Watch, is part of the “Hip Boot Tour” organized by Clean Air-Cool Planet, a non-profit group dedicated to fighting global warming.

• A visual demonstration will take place at 12:30 PM at Whitehurst Beach at ODU, at the end of W. 48th St., off of Powhatan Ave. Using a simple Hula Hoop festooned with blue Mylar, experts will show the difference between previous forecasts for sea level rise by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (below the knees) and the new estimates for this century (chest to chin).

Dr. Bindschadler has been an active Antarctic field researcher for the past 25 years. He has led field expeditions to Antarctica and has participated in many other expeditions to glaciers and ice caps around the world and currently sits on the US and International Planning Groups for the International Polar Year. Dr. White’s specialties include global change, paleoclimate dynamics and biogeochemistry. Dr. White is a member of the Directorate of the Institute of Arctic and Alpine Research (INSTAAR) at The University of Colorado at Boulder which does research, education, and outreach related to Earth System Science and Global Change in high-latitude, alpine, and other environments.

You will see and hear:

• What the latest scientific research suggests is happening to polar ice

• How ice melting in the Arctic and Antarctic leads to higher sea levels, especially on the east coast,

• What a meter of sea level rise—the minimum projected by 2100—would mean for the Norfolk area.

Norfolk is one of eight cities the “Hip Boot Tour” is visiting to inform and educate Americans living in coastal cities about the direct impact they will face from melting ice caused by global warming. The tour brings leading scientists from their research stations in the Arctic through cities from Miami, Fla., to Portland, Maine, before culminating with events in New York City and Washington, D.C.

What:

Presentation from a leading climate scientist on polar ice melt and what one meter or more of sea level rise would mean to Norfolk, with the most detailed maps and projections available

When:     

Wednesday, October 28

10:00 AM

Where:    

Engineering and Computational Sciences Auditorium

Old Dominion University

4600 Elkhorn Ave.

Norfolk, Va. 23529

And, photographers and TV crews in particular are invited to cover the second event on Wednesday:

What:    

Visual demonstration of the newly suggested rise in sea level, with the most detailed maps and projections available

When:     

Wednesday, October 28

12:30 PM

Where:     

Whitehurst Beach at ODU

End of W. 48th St., off of Powhatan Ave.

Clean Air-Cool Planet is the leading science-based, non-partisan, non-profit organization dedicated solely to finding and promoting solutions to global warming.

Old Dominion University is Virginia's forward-focused, public doctoral research university for high-performing students from around the world who want a rigorous academic experience in a fast-paced and profoundly multi-cultural community.

Wetlands Watch is a Virginia non-profit organization dedicated to protecting and conserving Virginia wetlands. Launched on Earth Day 2001, Wetlands Watch believes that citizens who understand the value of wetlands will be motivated to protect and conserve them.

Philadelphia, PA (Vocus) October 20, 2009 -– Two of the world’s leading experts on the ice melting in the Arctic came to town today to tell what they’ve seen, and to demonstrate the implications for the Philadelphia/Camden region. They released the most detailed maps and video animations yet of exactly what could go under water this century in this area.

According to the scientists, the old estimates for rising seas due to global warming were overly optimistic. Fresh data from the poles now indicates between three and four feet or more of rise by the year 2100 or sooner, which will have much more of an impact on Philadelphia and the nation, they said. The scientists followed up with a graphic demonstration at the water’s edge of how high the water could get in just a few decades.

Dr. Gordon Hamilton, a research professor at The University of Maine, and Dr. Asa Rennermalm, a professor at Rutgers, are active in current research on the rapid decline of the Greenland ice sheet. They presented their findings at The Wagner Free Institute.

“Nothing compares to being in a small boat, slowly sailing through the glassy waters of a glacial fjord and being surrounded by icebergs larger than the town I live in. And to know that these icebergs are being calved off the ice sheet at a rate three times faster now than just a few years ago,” said Dr. Hamilton.

Those melting icebergs will have far-reaching effects, according to the scientists. To demonstrate, Dr. Andrew Maguire, a former N. J. congressman, went to the Adventure Aquarium in Camden, N.J. Donning a pair of hip boots, he went to the water’s edge and raised the Hula Hoop to near his knees, representing the previous estimate by the Nobel prize-winning scientists on the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) that sea levels would rise approximately 17.3 inches this century. Slowly, as he spoke, he moved the hoop to his waist and then his chest, representing the new range of the rising seas now expected.

“The impacts of a meter of sea-level rise for Philadelphia's physical and economic infrastructure would be very dire,” said Rep. Maguire, with most of the city's transportation facilities needing protection that would cost billions of dollars. “But I’m also concerned with the effect on Camden. As someone who once represented New Jersey in the U.S. Congress, I can tell you that this city would be devastated by that much change. Much of the area closest to the river will be swamped with water if we don’t take action now to avert this disaster.”    

The speakers recommended a three-pronged approach to addressing climate change:

•    First, they advocate doing what we can to reduce our emissions of greenhouse gases to lessen future global warming, with personal actions at home to reduce energy use and by supporting our society’s conversion to clean energy and ultra-efficient homes, vehicles, appliances, and factories.

•    Second, support both Federal legislation to cap carbon dioxide emissions and reduce them through a cap-and-trade mechanism and US involvement in international efforts to control black carbon from diesel, methane, and tropospheric ozone emissions scientists believe are accelerating Arctic warming and melting.

•    Finally, they said, we need to begin planning for the infrastructure changes needed to mitigate or minimize the impact on our cities and adapt as much as possible to the climate change from the greenhouse gas emissions already in the atmosphere, such as by respecting a “new flood plain” and preparing to move back from the rising ocean and building sea walls.

The event was part of the “Hip Boot Tour,” which will visit coastal cities from Miami, Fla., to Portland, Maine to inform and educate Americans about the direct impact they will face from melting ice caused by global warming. The tour will bring leading scientists from their research stations in the Arctic through the cities before culminating with events in New York City and Washington, D.C.

The stop in Philadelphia was sponsored by Clean Air-Cool Planet, the leading science-based, non-partisan, non-profit organization dedicated solely to finding and promoting solutions to global warming. It was cosponsored in this area by the Clean Air Council, a member-supported, non-profit environmental organization dedicated to protecting everyone's right to breathe clean air, and the Wagner Free Institute of Science, a museum and educational institution offering a range of programs for visiting school groups.

For more information, see the Hip Boot Tour website (http://www.hipboottour.info).

(Vocus) October 27, 2009 — Dr. Robert Bindschadler, NASA chief scientist, brought with him the most detailed maps and made-for-TV video animations yet of exactly what could go underwater this century in this area.

According to Bindschadler, the old estimates for rising seas due to global warming were overly optimistic. Fresh data from the poles now indicates a minimum of three feet of rise by the year 2100 or sooner, which will have much more of an impact on Wilmington and the nation, he said.

The scientist and others present also provided a graphic demonstration of how high the water could get in just a few decades.

The event was sponsored by Clean Air-Cool Planet, a nonprofit headquartered in Portsmouth, N.H. Dr. Bindschadler was joined by Brooks Yeager, the group’s vice president for policy, who donned a pair of hip boots to demonstrate the effect.

Mr. Yeager, a former Clinton administration official, raised a Hula Hoop to near his knees, representing the previous estimate by the Nobel prize-winning scientists on the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) that sea levels would rise approximately 17.3 inches this century. Slowly, as he spoke, he moved the hoop to his waist, and then his chest, representing the new range of the rising seas now expected.

“The impacts of a meter of sea-level rise for Wilmington's physical and economic infrastructure would be very dire,” said Mr. Yeager, with most of the city's transportation facilities needing protection that would cost billions of dollars, or risk regularly going underwater.

“This area would be devastated by that much change. Many of the ocean beaches, as well as low-lying areas across the Cape Fear region, will be swamped with water if we don’t take action now to avert this disaster.”

The speakers recommended a three-pronged approach to addressing climate change:

• First, they advocate doing what we can to reduce our emissions of greenhouse gases to lessen future global warming, with personal actions at home to reduce energy use and by supporting society’s conversion to clean energy and ultra-efficient homes, vehicles, appliances, and factories.

• Second, they support both federal legislation to cap carbon dioxide emissions and reduce them through a cap-and-trade mechanism, and U.S. involvement in international efforts in Copenhagen this December to control black carbon from diesel, methane, and tropospheric ozone emissions that scientists believe are accelerating Arctic warming and melting.

• Finally, they said, we need to begin planning for the infrastructure changes needed to mitigate or minimize the impact on our cities and adapt as much as possible to the climate change from the greenhouse gas emissions already in the atmosphere, such as by respecting a “new flood plain” and preparing to move back from the rising ocean and building sea walls.

The event was part of the “Hip Boot Tour,” which is visiting coastal cities from Miami, Fla., to Portland, Maine to inform and educate Americans about the direct impact they will face from melting ice caused by global warming. The tour brings leading scientists from their research stations in the Arctic through the cities before culminating with events in New York City and Washington, D.C.

The stop in Wilmington was cosponsored by UNCW and Audubon North Carolina.

Dr. Bindschadler has been an active Antarctic field researcher for the past 25 years. He has led field expeditions to Antarctica and has participated in many other expeditions to glaciers and ice caps around the world and currently sits on the US and International Planning Groups for the International Polar Year. He maintains active research into the dynamics of glaciers and ice sheets, investigating how remote sensing can improve understanding of the role of ice in the Earth's climate.

For more information, see www.hipboottour.info

(Vocus) October 13, 2009 — Two of the world's leading experts on melting polar ice will launch Clean Air-Cool Planet's Hip Boot Tour at the Wagner Free Institute of Science in Philadelphia on Tuesday, October 20 to explain why ice in the Arctic and Antarctic is melting and how one meter or more of sea level rise will affect famous locations in the City of Brotherly Love and other major population centers along the east coast of the United States.

The presentation will include animations, available on broadcast-ready B-rolls, reflecting the newest, most detailed current research on the potential effects of sea level rise.

Dr. Gordon Hamilton, a research professor at The University of Maine, and Dr. Asa Rennermalm, a professor at Rutgers, are active in current research on the rapid decline of the Greenland ice sheet.

A visual demonstration – using a simple Hula Hoop festooned with blue Mylar – will be offered of the difference between previous forecasts for sea level rise by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (below the knees) and the new estimates for this century (chest to chin).

Scientists will brief reporters and others at the Wagner Free Institute, the first stop as part of the “Hip Boot Tour” organized by Clean Air-Cool Planet, a non-profit group dedicated to fighting global warming.

Dr. Hamilton has conducted extensive research on how melting ice sheets in Greenland and Antarctica affect global sea levels. Dr. Rennermalm is an expert on Arctic ice sheets and their impact on global climate.

You will hear:

•    What the latest scientific research suggests is happening to polar ice

•    How ice melting in the Arctic and Antarctic leads to higher sea levels, especially on the east coast,

•    What a meter of sea level rise—the minimum projected by 2100—would mean for Philadelphia.

Philadelphia is one of eight major cities the “Hip Boot Tour” will visit to inform and educate Americans living in coastal cities about the direct impact they will face from melting ice caused by global warming. The tour will bring leading scientists from their research stations in the Arctic through cities from Miami, Fla., to Portland, Maine, before culminating with events in New York City and Washington, D.C.

Clean Air-Cool Planet is hosting the event with the Wagner Free Institute of Science in conjunction with Clean Air Council, a Pennsylvania based non-profit group dedicated to protecting everyone's right to breathe clean air, and reducing global warming causing pollution..

WHAT:    Presentation from leading climate scientists on polar ice melt and what one meter or more of sea level rise would mean to Philadelphia, with the most detailed maps and projections available

WHEN:     Tuesday, October 20

        10:00 AM

WHERE:     Wagner Free Institute of Science

        1700 West Montgomery Avenue

        Philadelphia

Clean Air-Cool Planet is the leading science-based, non-partisan, non-profit organization dedicated solely to finding and promoting solutions to global warming. Through our Climate Policy Center we develop and promote economically efficient and innovative climate policies. CA-CP provides hands-on assistance to companies, campuses, communities and science centers throughout the Northeast to help them reduce their carbon emissions.

Incorporated in 1855, the Wagner Free Institute of Science is a museum and educational institution that has survived nearly unchanged from the 19th century. It offers a range of programs for visiting school groups, and cultivates special partnerships with neighboring schools.

Clean Air Council is a member-supported, non-profit environmental organization dedicated to protecting everyone's right to breathe clean air. The Council works on air quality issues in Pennsylvania, Delaware and New Jersey through public education, community advocacy, and government oversight to ensure enforcement of environmental laws.

(Vocus) October 21, 2009 — One of the world's leading experts on melting polar ice will be visiting Tampa on Thursday, October 22 and Friday, October 23 to explain why ice in the Arctic and Antarctic is melting and breaking up faster than expected, and how one meter or more of sea level rise – which scientists now say is likely by 2100 – would affect famous locations in the Tampa Bay area and other major population centers along the east coast of the United States.

The presentation will include animations, available on broadcast-ready B-rolls, reflecting the newest, most detailed current research on the potential effects of sea level rise.

There will be two elements to the event:

•    A visual demonstration will take place at 11:00 AM Thursday at the Florida Aquarium, 701 Channelside Drive in Tampa. Using a simple Hula Hoop festooned with blue Mylar, experts will show the difference between previous forecasts for sea level rise by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (below the knees) and the new estimates for this century (chest to chin).

•    Dr. Gordon Hamilton will offer observations from his experience in Greenland at 2:15 PM on Thursday, October 22, at the Tampa Bay Estuary Program’s Bay Area Scientific Information Symposium, at the Sun Spree Resort in St. Petersburg. He will repeat the presentation at 9:00 AM on Friday, October 23, at the Florida Audubon Assembly, at the Hilton St. Petersburg Carillon. These events are part of the “Hip Boot Tour” organized by Clean Air-Cool Planet, a non-profit group dedicated to fighting global warming.

Dr. Hamilton, a research professor at The University of Maine, is active in current research on the rapid decline of the Greenland ice sheet. Dr. Hamilton has conducted extensive research on how melting ice sheets in Greenland and Antarctica affect global sea levels.

You will see and hear:

•    What the latest scientific research suggests is happening to polar ice

•    How ice melting in the Arctic and Antarctic leads to higher sea levels, especially on the east coast, so that the old maximum estimate for this century is the new minimum

•    What a meter of sea level rise—the minimum now projected by 2100—would mean for the Tampa-St. Petersburg area.

Tampa is one of eight major cities the “Hip Boot Tour” will visit to inform and educate Americans living in coastal cities about the direct impact they will face from melting ice caused by global warming. The tour will bring leading scientists from their research stations in the Arctic through cities from Miami, Fla., to Portland, Maine, before culminating with events in New York City and Washington, D.C.

Clean Air-Cool Planet is participating in events with the Tampa Bay Estuary Program and the Florida Audubon Assembly. The Tampa Bay Estuary Bay Area Scientific Information Symposium will be at the Holiday Inn SunSpree Resort in St. Petersburg on Thursday, October 22, while the Florida Audubon Assembly will be at the Hilton St. Petersburg, Carillon Park.

There will be three events, as follows:

WHAT:    Visual demonstration of the newly suggested rise in sea level, with the most detailed maps and projections available

WHEN:     Thursday, October 22

        11:00 AM

WHERE:    Florida Aquarium

        701 Channelside Drive

        Tampa, FL 33602

Also, in the afternoon:

WHAT:    Presentation from a leading climate scientist on polar ice melt and what one meter or more of sea level rise would mean to Tampa-St. Petersburg, with the most detailed maps and projections available

WHEN:     Thursday, October 22

        2:15 PM

WHERE:     Holiday Inn SunSpree Resort

        6800 Sunshine Skyway Lane S

        St. Petersburg, FL 33711

The presentation will be repeated on Friday:

WHEN:     Friday, October 23

        9:00 AM, 3:30 PM

WHERE:     Hilton St. Petersburg, Carillon Park

        950 Lake Carillon Drive

        St. Petersburg, FL 33716

Clean Air-Cool Planet is the leading science-based, non-partisan, non-profit organization dedicated solely to finding and promoting solutions to global warming.

Buffalo, NY (PRWEB) December 26, 2009 — In just three short years the National Hockey League’s Winter Classic game has become a mainstay for hockey fans across the United States. This January and February will be dominated by professional ice-skating, as all eyes turn to the NHL’s outdoor hockey game followed shortly thereafter by the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. While the world-class competition takes center stage, working-class backyards across the country will be transformed into home ice skating rinks.

In 2010 the ice is going to heat up between the Boston Bruins and the Philadelphia Flyers playing at Fenway Park in Boston, Massachusetts on January 1, 2010. Due to the 2010 Winter Olympics forcing the NHL to cancel their All-Star Game for the 2009 – 2010 season, the Winter Classic will serve as the league's premier showcase game. Bridgestone has signed on as the official corporate sponsor, and the game will be aired on NBC TV outlets across the US.

The first NHL Winter Classic hockey game was played on January 1, 2008 between the Pittsburgh Penguins and Buffalo Sabres at Ralph Wilson Stadium on the outskirts of Buffalo, New York. According to ESPN this game had an NHL-record crowd of over 71,000 fans, and was the first regular-season outdoor NHL hockey game ever played in the US. The success of the 2008 Winter Classic led to the second-ever NHL outdoor hockey game in 2009 at Wrigley Field in Chicago, Illinois. The 2nd Winter Classic game was held on January 1, 2009 matching the Detroit Red Wings against the Chicago Blackhawks. The NHL reported that this hockey game made its own record with the highest television ratings of any hockey game in 33 years.

Also on the outskirts of Buffalo, NY lies one of the leading Backyard, Home, & Patio online retailers in the United States, a company spanning multiple warehouses. Leisure Living has been a leading reseller of Backyard Hockey Rinks since 2006 with their BackyardHockeyRink.com website. Leisure Living has made Home Ice Skating Rinks more readily available than ever before, and homes across the country are turning their backyards into home ice skating rinks for the winter.

Every child involved in a winter sport has dreamt of having their own sheet of ice right in their own backyard, rather than having to travel day after day to the nearest indoor skating rink. The winter sport enthusiast as well as the casual ice skater can enjoy hours of wintertime fun. Home ice skating rinks provide for backyard training for both figure skating and ice hockey at an affordable price.

“Each year we go out and find the best pricing on the most popular sizes manufactured to the highest quality standards,” said Sean Corrigan, Sales Director with Leisure Living. “This year is no different, as our Arctic Ice Backyard Hockey Rinks are made with heavy duty rails and tubes and are fabricated to a commercial standard. Plus each rink comes with an easy-to-follow instructional DVD.”

Installing a backyard ice rink is not very difficult, however for someone setting up a rink for the very first time it can feel like a daunting task. Arctic Ice realized this and to remedy this anxiety they created an easy to follow instructional guide with a corresponding DVD video, both of which are included with every purchase of an Arctic Ice Backyard Hockey Rink.

"Our job is to provide an easy-to-use order processing method for online shoppers,” said Colin Chase, eCommerce Manager with Leisure Living. “Our website accepts credit cards, and even PayPal on PoolSupplies.com where these rinks are also available 24-7. We receive our customers’ online orders in a secure fashion, and then the ice rink kits are shipped from the warehouse usually within one business day.”

Leisure Living has a large quantity of backyard ice rinks in stock and on hand for fast delivery anywhere in the continental United States. Visit their website at www.BackyardHockeyRink.com for more details, with prices starting at only $199.99. Also, on PoolSupplies.com at: http://www.poolsupplies.com/outdoor/ice-n-go-rinks.asp.

About Leisure Living:

Leisure Living is a leading online Pool Supplies company based in Buffalo, New York with over 100 employees spanning multiple warehouses. Offering over 4,000 pool products with the guaranteed lowest prices online. Leisure Living has the most knowledgeable pool people on the web as well as over the phone, with our highly visited website and fully staffed Call Center. Leisure Living provides swimming pool supplies at discounted "bargain" prices, and carries everything from pool opening chemical kits to winter closing pool chemicals, from swimming pool solar covers to pool winter covers, from automatic pool cleaners to pool floats and toys. All items come with a price match guarantee, and most items ship the same day or within one business day. “There’s only one PoolSupplies.com!”

Contact:

Colin Chase, eCommerce Manager

Leisure Living

716-773-7500

http://www.PoolSupplies.com

(Vocus) October 16, 2009 — One of the world's leading experts on melting polar ice will be visiting Tampa on Thursday, October 22 and Friday, October 23 to explain why ice in the Arctic and Antarctic is melting and how one meter or more of sea level rise – which scientists now say is likely by 2100 – would affect famous locations in the Tampa Bay area and other major population centers along the east coast of the United States.

The presentation will include animations, available on broadcast-ready B-rolls, reflecting the newest, most detailed current research on the potential effects of sea level rise.

Dr. Gordon Hamilton, a research professor at The University of Maine, is active in current research on the rapid decline of the Greenland ice sheet. He will be speaking to the Tampa Bay Estuary Program on Thursday, and to the Florida Audubon Society on Friday.

A visual demonstration – using a simple Hula Hoop festooned with blue Mylar – will be offered on Thursday, October 22 (location TBA) to show the difference between previous forecasts for sea level rise by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (below the knees) and the new estimates for this century (chest to chin).

Dr. Hamilton has conducted extensive research on how melting ice sheets in Greenland and Antarctica affect global sea levels.

You will see and hear:

•    What the latest scientific research suggests is happening to polar ice

•    How ice melting in the Arctic and Antarctic leads to higher sea levels, especially on the east coast,

•    What a meter of sea level rise—the minimum projected by 2100—would mean for the Tampa-St. Petersburg area.

Tampa is one of eight major cities the “Hip Boot Tour” will visit to inform and educate Americans living in coastal cities about the direct impact they will face from melting ice caused by global warming. The tour will bring leading scientists from their research stations in the Arctic through cities from Miami, Fla., to Portland, Maine, before culminating with events in New York City and Washington, D.C.

Clean Air-Cool Planet is participating in events with the Tampa Bay Estuary Program and the Florida Audubon Assembly. The Tampa Bay Estuary Bay Area Scientific Information Symposium will be at the Holiday Inn SunSpree Resort in St. Petersburg on Thursday, October 22, while the Florida Audubon Assembly will be at the Hilton St. Petersburg, Carillon Park.

WHAT:    Presentation from a leading climate scientist on polar ice melt and what one meter or more of sea level rise would mean to Tampa-St. Petersburg, with the most detailed maps and projections available

WHEN:     Thursday, October 22

        2:15 PM

WHERE:     Holiday Inn SunSpree Resort

        6800 Sunshine Skyway Lane S

        St. Petersburg, FL 33711

WHEN:     Friday, October 23

        9:00 AM, 3:30 PM

WHERE:     Hilton St. Petersburg, Carillon Park

        950 Lake Carillon Drive

        St. Petersburg, FL 33716

Clean Air-Cool Planet is the leading science-based, non-partisan, non-profit organization dedicated solely to finding and promoting solutions to global warming.

Washington, DC (Vocus) September 2, 2009 — Warming in the Arctic (http://www.worldwildlife.org/what/wherewework/arctic/index.html) will likely have far-reaching impacts throughout the world, resulting in a sharp increase in harmful greenhouse gases and significant shifts in global weather patterns that could disrupt the lives and livelihoods of hundreds of millions of people.

That's according to a new study (http://www.panda.org/?173262/Warming-Arctics-global-impacts-outstrip-predictions) released today by the World Wildlife Fund, which found that Arctic sea ice is melting at a faster than expected pace, with major implications well beyond the region. These include changes in temperature and precipitation patterns in North America and Europe that will affect agriculture, forestry and water supplies.

"This is not about the Arctic, it's what the Arctic means to the rest of the world and this study paints a truly sobering picture of the future if it continues to warm and melt," said Dr. Martin Sommerkorn, "Warming in the Arctic will have negative consequences not just for polar bears, but for people across America and throughout the world. Simply put, if we do not keep the Arctic cold enough, people across the world will suffer the effects."

With sea ice expected to recede to near-record levels later this month, the study, Arctic Climate Feedbacks: Global Implications, found growing evidence that some of the anticipated impacts on the atmosphere have already emerged. The report also predicts that the negative effects of Arctic warming could make global climate change more severe than indicated by other recent projections, including those of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change's 2007 assessment.

"The planet's alarm system is blaring loudly and we need to wake up and take action," said Keya Chatterjee, acting director of climate change with WWF-US. "We need to pass legislation (http://www.worldwildlife.org/climate/act-for-our-future/) in the U.S. and secure a global treaty to cut our emissions now and prepare for the rapidly emerging consequences of climate change (http://www.worldwildlife.org/climate/act-for-our-future/videos.html)."

The Arctic's frozen soils and wetlands store twice as much carbon as is held in the atmosphere, as warming trends continue, soils will increasingly thaw and release carbon dioxide and methane into the atmosphere as, at a significantly faster pace than previously predicted. Levels of atmospheric methane, a particularly potent greenhouse gas, have been increasing rapidly for the past two years, and many believe the increase is driven by the thawing Arctic.

The report also concludes that sea-levels will very likely rise by more than one meter by 2100 — more than twice the amount given in the IPCC's 2007 assessment. The associated flooding of coastal regions will affect more than a quarter of the world's population.

In December 2009, the governments of 191 countries will meet in Copenhagen, Denmark, for the final round of negotiations for a new global agreement on climate change. WWF has joined with other NGOs to produce a model climate treaty for Copenhagen that gives the world a blueprint for achieving the kind of emissions cuts needed to likely avoid arctic feedbacks.

Note:

•    A videotaped interview with Dr. Sommerkorn, and clips from an accompanying multi-media presentation are available for download from http://www.divshare.com/folder/587835-7d0

•    The model climate treaty and the Arctic Climate Feedbacks: Global Implications report are available at http://www.panda.org/arctic

•    Last week, WWF launched a national public awareness campaign to raise awareness of the impacts of climate change in the United States and promote passage of climate legislation by Congress. For more information and to view ads visit www.actforourfuture.org.

About World Wildlife Fund

WWF is the world's leading conservation organization, working in 100 countries for nearly half a century. With the support of almost 5 million members worldwide, WWF is dedicated to delivering science-based solutions to preserve the diversity and abundance of life on Earth, halt the degradation of the environment and combat climate change. Visit www.worldwildlife.org to learn more.

Contact:

World Wildlife Fund

1250 24th Street, NW

Washington, D.C. 20037-1193

USA

www.worldwildlife.org

Steve Ertel, WWF

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Anchorage, Alaska (Vocus) October 1, 2009 — World Wildlife Fund (www.worldwildlife.org) has obtained dramatic high definition footage along the Arctic shorelines of Russia and Alaska showing the dramatic impact climate change (www.actforourfuture.org) is having on walruses. Earlier today, an investigative team led by the US Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) issued preliminary findings explaining the mass death of young walrus calves that is captured on the WWF footage.

The Alaska footage shows some of the more than 100 walrus carcasses (www.actforourfuture.org/ImpactsOnWalrus) that were spotted on September 14 by US Geological Survey (USGS) researchers flying near Icy Cape, southwest of Barrow, Alaska. Days prior to that sighting, a massive heard of walruses was seen congregated on the shore. According to the preliminary report released today by the FWS team, which included USGS, the Alaska SeaLife Center and the North Slope Borough Department of Wildlife Management, a total of 131 carcasses, mostly calves and yearlings, were found. Their conclusion was that "the cause of death was consistent with trampling by other walruses."

"With the rapid melting of Arctic sea ice due to climate change, walruses are losing their habitats and are being forced to congregate on land in massive numbers, often in the thousands" said Geoff York, WWF's lead Arctic species biologist. "This is a very dangerous situation as it can lead to stampedes and the trampling of walruses. As is evidenced by the Icy Cape situation, young walruses are particularly vulnerable."

In recent years, as Arctic sea ice has receded far from the Russian and Alaskan coasts, walruses – including many females and their calves – have been forced to take refuge on land, congregating in large numbers at "haul outs" along the coasts. These mass congregations can lead to violent stampedes, which, as is evidenced from the Icy Cape situation, are particularly dangerous to young walrus calves. Scientists also report a recent rise in the number of orphaned calves at sea after becoming separated from their mothers.

"It is clear: were it not for the dramatic decline in the sea ice, the young walruses at Icy Cape most likely would be alive on the ice and not dead on a beach," said York.

Just last month, York observed an estimated 20,000 walruses congregated on the shore of Russia's Cape Schmidt during the "Northeast Passage" expedition, which was supported by WWF and others. [Note: WWF footage from Cape Schmidt includes a walrus stampede.

"As the sea ice retreats further out into the deep Arctic Ocean, walruses are unable to find food and are therefore coming ashore in huge numbers and in places they hadn't been before," York said. "Once on shore, the walruses are limited in how far out they can forage, especially females and young. If 20,000 walruses are all trying to find something to eat in one area, it won't be long before the food runs out."

York noted that large concentrations of walruses on land can also attract polar bears and lead to increased human-bear conflict. WWF is working with local communities across the Arctic coast to mitigate such conflicts and share information with communities on how to deal with the significantly increasing numbers of walruses and polar bears on land.

"These alarming conditions do not just raise concerns about the fate of iconic species such as walruses and polar bears–our own future is at stake," says York. "The planet is changing in dangerous and unpredictable ways and the longer we wait to address the climate crisis the costlier it will be. It is critical that the Senate pass a climate bill this year, a critical step toward reaching a global agreement in Copenhagen."

Notes to editors:

Available upon request from WWF:

• Footage of the deceased walruses at Icy Cape, Alaska

• Footage of the Cape Schmidt, Russia, walrus haul-out, including stamped

• Still photos of the Cape Schmidt, Russia, haul-out

• Footage of individual healthy walruses from the Bering Sea

• map generated by the National Snow and Ice Data Center, showing sea ice extent on 12 Sept 2009 (minimum) and the median ice extent for that date from 1979 to 2000 (with the locations of Icy Cape and Cape Schmidt added by WWF) A NASA animation of the 2009 melt season (through 12 September) for Arctic sea ice

For a preview of the video footage visit: www.actforourfuture.org/ImpactsOnWalrus

Journalists who wish to download broadcast quality footage or obtain high resolution maps should contact Joe Pouliot at 202-476-9919.

ACT For Our Future

To learn more about WWF's efforts to secure Senate passage of comprehensive climate change legislation this year, please visit www.ActForOurFuture.org.

About World Wildlife Fund

WWF is the world's leading conservation organization, working in 100 countries for nearly half a century. With the support of almost 5 million members worldwide, WWF is dedicated to delivering science-based solutions to preserve the diversity and abundance of life on Earth, halt the degradation of the environment and combat climate change. Visit www.worldwildlife.org to learn more.