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Giants join forces to protect the arctic |
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24 Jan 2013, 6:24 PM
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WWF have launched a new three-year project to raise awareness and funds to help conserve the home of the polar bear and create a positive future for the Arctic. The Arctic Home project will combine WWF’s extensive scientific network and conservation expertise with Coca-Cola’s marketing experience and resources.
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The launch followed news that the British government is trying to water down planned EU regulations on deep sea oil drilling in places like the Arctic.
Leaked documents reveal that the UK wished to change proposals to prevent oil and gas drilling in fragile areas. The reason given by officials is that "oil spills may be effectively dispersed by wind and wave action and this is in itself one form of effective response".
Ministers have also said that any moratorium on oil drilling in the Arctic, which was called for last September in a report by the Environmental Audit Committee, is unlikely to happen. Last month, Shell's attempt to drill off the coast of Alaska nearly ended in disaster when its Kulluk drilling rig ran ashore.
Green campaigners are concerned that bad weather creates an "oil spill response gap", in which spills become impossible to clean up using methods such as those deployed in BP's Gulf of Mexico oil spill.
EU member states want this "response gap" to be addressed by legislation which would prevent companies from drilling unless they had established that any type of accident could be dealt with effectively. The UK apparently wishes this language to be removed from the negotiations.
Ben Stewart, speaking for Greenpeace said: "The British Government tells Parliament it's committed to the highest safety standards for the oil industry, but in Brussels it's working to gut regulations designed to prevent a Deepwater Horizon disaster off our own coast. Our ministers might consider, just for once, not acting as the lobbying arm of Shell."
Joan Walley, chair of the Environmental Audit Committee, said: "A few years ago the prime minister rode with huskies in the Arctic to demonstrate his commitment on environmental issues, but now he is being asked to protect that pristine wilderness for real he has refused to take a lead on the issue."
The funds raised by the Arctic Home campaign will help in various ways, including conservation planning for the ‘Last Ice Area’ - the area where it’s believed summer sea ice will last longest in the Arctic. The Arctic is warming twice as fast as the global average and sea ice is disappearing at a rate of about 11% per decade.
CEO David Nussbaum commented: “Climate warming is causing a rapid melting of the sea ice on which polar bears and other Arctic species depend. It’s predicted that the summer sea ice will virtually disappear within a generation. As the ice continues to melt, polar bears will increasingly struggle to hunt to keep themselves and their cubs alive over the summer months.
“The Arctic Home campaign with Coca-Cola is great news as it gives us a real opportunity to raise mass awareness about the threats to the Arctic and vital funds to help us tackle some of the challenges being faced. It’s only through working in partnership that sustainable change will take place: we believe that if we all act now, together we can protect the home of the Arctic polar bear.”
The funds raised by Arctic Home will be used in a variety of ways:-
Creating a safe home for polar bears - the polar bear lives, hunts, mates and breeds on sea ice, but that ice is shrinking rapidly due to climate change. The Arctic Home funds will help protect what’s still there.
Studying the bears - because of the challenges of the Arctic environment it’s difficult and expensive even to find out exactly how many bears are left. Part of the money raised by Arctic Home will be used to fill in the gaps, and help us better understand and study the polar bear’s home and habits.
Reducing conflict between bears and people - as the ice retreats, polar bears are being forced to spend more time on land hunting for food – which is dangerous for local people and the bears. Arctic Home funds will assist research and actions to help communities live in harmony with the polar bear population.
Polar bear summit - WWF is encouraging Arctic governments to hold a polar bear summit this year, which would be supported by funds from the Arctic Home campaign, to put a spotlight on the polar bear and the issues it faces.
Tackling climate change - we need to cut greenhouse gas emissions by reducing deforestation, making more efficient use of energy, and by moving to clean, renewable sources of energy. But even if we reduce greenhouse gas emissions very quickly, some climate change will continue in coming decades because of the greenhouse gases we’ve already emitted.
Part of the Arctic Home funds will support the goal of slowing change in the Arctic (and globally), and help people and wildlife there adapt to their changing world.
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