Tag Archives: climate change

Environmental Activism

10th Annual Earth Hour Will Shine Light On Climate Action March 19

The Eiffel Tower Paris at Earth Hour, 2015. Just 3 months ago, leaders of 196 countries signed the Paris Climate Agreement (courtesy of EarthHour.org).
The Eiffel Tower Paris at Earth Hour, 2015. Just 3 months ago, leaders of 196 countries signed the Paris Climate Agreement (courtesy of EarthHour.org).

Much as people from far and wide are drawn to gaze in utter primeval fascination at a total eclipse, and the biennial Manhattanhenge, when the setting sun aligns with  the city’s east-west streetscape, inspires contemplation of the man-nature synergy, Earth Hour is a sight to behold: when cities and towns customarily blazing in light go dark for an hour, one by one around the globe. It is also a demonstration of people power, rising up to support climate action against the forces that would darken the planet. This year’s event, March 19 on March 19, from 8:30-9:30 pm local time, is the tenth time that millions of people around the globe will take action and switch off the lights.

As the world steps into a new era of climate action, WWF’s Earth Hour is urging supporters to shine a light on climate action through the most powerful communication tool of our time – social media.

This Earth Hour, Saturday, 19 March 2016 8:30 p.m. local time, as the world’s most iconic landmarks prepare to switch off their lights, supporters will be invited to take a stand for climate action on their own personal landmarks – their Facebook and Twitter accounts.

Social media users can promote their commitment to the planet by donating their Facebook feeds to spread climate awareness and action in a few clicks on www.earthhour.org/climateaction. Users can also add a custom-made Earth Hour filter to their profile pictures on Facebook and Twitter to show they believe this is our time to change climate change.

“Social media knows no physical boundaries and neither does climate change,” said Siddarth Das, Executive Director, Earth Hour Global. “A simple action on social media is the kind of powerful statement that can excite friends and communities to be a part of the climate action we need to take on this global challenge.”

With the innovative ‘Donate Your Social Power’ Facebook app, created by Earth Hour in collaboration with creative agency iris Worldwide, supporters around the world can share climate information that matters most to them.

By donating their timelines, users can invite friends and followers to discover how people and communities are helping protect #PlacesWeLove in Australia such as the World Heritage Forests in Tasmania and the Great Barrier Reef or how they can be a part of India’s ambition to #GoSolar. They can also collectively shine a light on the most pressing climate issues facing countries, people and wildlife in Latin America and be a part of Africa’s efforts to change climate change by helping protect forests and promoting access to climate education and renewable energy.

“Climate action today will decide the future of our planet for generations to come. As more people sign up, an increasing number of individuals will be able to see how climate action starts with each of us, here and now,” said Das. “Earth Hour empowers each individual — through a social event, interactive campaigns or through social networks — to be a part of making climate change history.”

This year marks Earth Hour’s tenth lights out event. In the past nine years, WWF and Earth Hour teams worldwide have harnessed the power of the movement to raise support and funds for access to renewable energy, protection of wildlife and their habitats, building sustainable livelihoods and driving climate-friendly legislation and policy.

In 2016, Earth Hour will continue to power grassroots efforts to change climate change including driving a petition for 100 per cent renewable energy in Spain, protecting forests and biodiversity in Africa and helping devise a comprehensive solution to Southeast Asia’s persistent haze crisis by working with governments, businesses and civil society simultaneously on peatland protection and sustainable palm oil.

“Less than three months ago, leaders from 196 nations signed a historic agreement in Paris to take collective action on climate change, clearly showing that we are at a turning point in our fight to cut carbon pollution,” Sara Thomas, Manager, Online Advocacy, World Wildlife Fund, writes.

“I’ll be turning out my lights and hope you’ll join me. Sign up for Mobile Action Team updates and get a text message reminder from me to turn off your lights on Earth Hour day.

Text HOUR to 69866 to sign up.

“You’ll join our list of engaged mobile activists and opt in to receive text messages on the latest opportunities to help World Wildlife Fund protect wildlife and conserve nature.”

Earth Hour 2016 will be celebrated on Saturday, 19 March 2016 between 8:30 and 9:30 p.m. in your local time zone. Log on to www.earthhour.org for more stories and articles on teams using the Earth Hour movement to shine a light on climate action.

“This is our time to change climate change.”

Link to Earth Hour’s ‘The Future Starts Today’ video: http://ehour.me/FutureStartsToday

Link to the official Earth Hour 2016 music video: http://ehour.me/EH2016-MusicVideo

Link to photos on Earth Hour activities around the world: http://www.earthhour.org/photo-galleries

 

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Conservation, Historic Preservation, international travel

Project Launched to Save Greenland’s Buried Archeological Artifacts Threatened by Climate Change

National Museums of Denmark and Greenland have formed a coalition to save archaeological treasures – bones, metal and wood captured and preserved in ice in Greenland – endangered by melting ice due to global warming.

The coalition is mapping out which areas are most threatened by climate change and an interactive map that pinpoints which areas are especially at risk and so should be given first priority by archaeologists.

Kitchen middens are getting particular focus because they contain valuable evidence of how Greenlanders have lived for thousands of years. If the ice encapsulating the kitchen middens melts, the potential finds will be exposed to air and will eventually rot. The artifacts are also at risk of being swept away by meltwater or covered by new tree and plant growth.

To pinpoint which finds and areas are most affected by climate change, researchers have filled several freezers in the Danish National Museum with samples from kitchen middens found all over Greenland. The researchers’ next job is to measure the oxygen consumption of each piece of wood, bone and metal, which has been collected, at different temperatures, in order to determine which materials are most affected by increasing temperatures. The results will provide the foundation for the interactive map and the mission to rescue as much of Greenland’s buried treasures as possible.

For more information, Visit Greenland, Greenland.com, [email protected].

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Conservation, National Parks

With Stroke of Obama’s Pen, Pacific Remote Islands Marine National Monument Becomes Largest Marine Reserve in World

Heteractis Magnifica Isla Maxima tidepools at Pacific Remote Islands Marine National Monument. Obama signed a proclamation expanding the protected area to six times its size, becoming the largest marine reserve in the world (photo from FWS).
Heteractis Magnifica Isla Maxima tidepools at Pacific Remote Islands Marine National Monument. Obama signed a proclamation expanding the protected area to six times its size, becoming the largest marine reserve in the world (photo from FWS).

With the stroke of a pen, President Obama expanded the existing Pacific Remote Islands Marine National Monument, one of the most pristine tropical marine environments in the world, to six times its current size, resulting in 370,000 square nautical miles (490,000 square miles) of protected area around these tropical islands and atolls in the south-central Pacific Ocean, making it the largest marine reserve in the world that is completely off limits to commercial resource extraction including commercial fishing.

Expanding the Monument, which was first designated by George W. Bush on January 6, 2009, will more fully protect the deep coral reefs, seamounts, and marine ecosystems unique to this part of the world, which are also among the most vulnerable areas to the impacts of climate change and ocean acidification.

Commercial fishing and other resource extraction activities, such as deep sea mining, are banned in the Monument.  But in recognition of the importance of encouraging and supporting access to federally managed areas, recreational and traditional fishing consistent with the conservation goals of the Monument will continue to be allowed in the expanded Monument.

“An ocean paradise teeming with rare marine life and birds surrounding atolls and reefs about 1,000 miles southwest of Hawaii, the newly-expanded Pacific Remote Islands Marine National Monument further protects those ecosystems and their creatures—some of which are found nowhere else on earth,” the Wilderness Society wrote.

“Safeguarding these islands and their underwater ecosystems will help ensure the survival and recovery of several threatened and endangered species such as leatherback turtles, blue and humpback whales, whitetip sharks, and yellowfin tuna. The islands attract millions of migratory seabirds and the coral reefs in this area are full of colorful fish and anemones.

“The Pacific Remote Islands Marine National Monument is like the Galapagos Islands in terms of the significance of this habitat for wildlife and its value for scientific research. The expansion of the monument garnered overwhelming support from scientists, businesses and conservation groups.”

The recently released National Climate Assessment confirms that climate change is causing sea levels and ocean temperatures to rise. Changing temperatures can harm coral reefs and force certain species to migrate. In addition, carbon pollution is being absorbed by the oceans, causing them to acidify, which can damage coastal shellfish beds and reefs, altering entire marine ecosystems. To date, the acidity of our ocean is changing 50 times faster than any known change in millions of years.

In response to this growing threat, the President announced in June his commitment to use his authority to protect some of our most precious marine landscape just like he has for our mountains, rivers, and forests. The Administration identified expanding the Pacific Remote Islands Marine National Monument as an area of particular interest because science has shown that large marine protected areas can help rebuild biodiversity, support fish populations, and improve overall ecosystem resilience.

To meet the President’s commitment, the Administration examined how to expand protections near the Monument and considered the input of fishermen, scientists, conservation experts, elected officials, and other stakeholders, including through a town hall meeting and over 170,000 comments submitted electronically.

The expanded Monument will include over 130 newly protected sea mounts, which are hotspots of biodiversity that harbor uncounted numbers of new and unique marine species. The expansion will better protect the habitat of animals with large migration and foraging ranges that stretch throughout the area, including sea turtles, marine mammals, and manta rays.  The Monument is also home to millions of seabirds that forage over hundreds of miles and bring food back to their rookeries on the islands and atolls.  These birds serve as a conveyor belt of energy bringing nutrients caught at sea back into the near shore environment where they help sustain the ecosystems.

This proclamation builds on the Administration’s efforts to protect both our lands and our oceans.  Early in his first term, President Obama launched the National Ocean Policy to harmonize the implementation of more than 100 laws that govern our oceans and create a coordinated, science-based approach to managing the many resources and uses of our coasts and oceans.

In June, President Obama launched a series of executive actions to increase protections for the ocean, including combating black market fishing, establishing a pathway to new marine sanctuaries, and understanding the impacts of ocean acidification. The President has also designated 11 other national monuments across the United States to permanently protect sites that are significant to our nation’s rich history and natural heritage.

The expanded monument will continue to be managed by the Departments of the Interior and Commerce through the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration respectively.  The Agencies will develop management plans pursuant to their respective authorities under the Antiquities Act, the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery and Conservation Management Act, and other relevant authorities to ensure proper care and management of the Monument.

First exercised by President Theodore Roosevelt in 1906 to designate Devils Tower National Monument in Wyoming, the authority of the Antiquities Act has been used by 16 presidents since 1906 to protect unique natural and historic features in America, such as the Grand Canyon, the Statue of Liberty, and Colorado’s Canyons of the Ancients.

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