Causecast

by SARAH NELSON, Contributing Writer

With the Copenhagen Climate Change Conference less than 30 days away, world leaders are gearing up for a week of historic dialogue, while the rest of us look on with hopes for a solution to global warming. Among the biggest advocates for finding an immediate solution is U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon.

This fall, Mr. Ban took a trip to the Arctic North to see for himself the irreversible damage climate change has done to the polar ice cap. Ban’s arctic adventure took him to the Norwegian Island of Spitsbergen, where he spent two days visiting polar stations and research institutes, hearing first hand what scientists are finding as they study the changes occurring in the Arctic. Mr. Ban was deeply impacted by the visit and later remarked that a “failure to act…will count the cost for generations to come.”

This week the U.N. released a video, documenting the journey to the North Pole and capturing the visual impact of global warming.

Check out the video of General Secretary Ban Ki-moon’s first hand look at the effects of global warming in the Polar Ice Rim:

Scientific research suggests that the Arctic has warmed twice as fast as the global average in the past 100 years, impacting the extent and thickness of the ice. Scientists are finding new, thinner layers of ice where old, thicker ice should be present. The rapidly dissolving polar ice cap is a dire consequence of massive amounts of carbon waste producing global warming.

The melting arctic ice is also contributing to the acceleration of global warming. It’s a vicious cycle. What’s worse is current emission levels show no signs of slowing down – and at the rate they’re moving, the Arctic Ocean will be ice free by 2030. In addition to drastic changes in landscape, the melting ice threatens extinction for polar animal populations.

Following his return from the Arctic, Secretary General Ban embarked on a mission to impart the importance of immediate action. Achieving a fair and effective climate change solution in Copenhagen is essential to the success of the conference. And there is no more time to lose. The U.N. is asking global citizens to be part of the Seal the Deal Campaign to ask world leaders to make a commitment to a solution for climate change.

Seal the Deal is asking world leaders in Copenhagen to focus on five issues:

• Individual goals for industrialized countries to set to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
• Actions developing countries will take to limit the growth of their emissions.
• Finances that will be made available to developing countries unable to act without support.
• An efficient institutional mechanism for disbursing funds and an equitable, accountable, governance structure.
• A framework that will bolster the climate resilience of vulnerable countries and protect lives and livelihoods.

There are just a few weeks left. Be part of the solution to climate change and sign the Seal the Deal Petition today.

Photo by ΠΑΣΟΚ, flickr.