Salma Hayek, Jake Gyllenhaal Join 1,000 Native People to Deliver an Arctic
Warning
IQALUIT, NUNAVUT, Canada, April 22 /PRNewswire/ -- While the contentious
energy bill debate and the onset of spring have been heating up Washington,
D.C. and the rest of the lower 48, politicians, scientists and celebrities are
heading to the colder climes of the Arctic Circle this Earth Day to highlight
the real heat global warming is putting on the lives of the Inuit people who
live there.
Hollywood actors Salma Hayek and Jake Gyllenhaal will join more than
1,000 Inuit people to help mark their traditional spring festival and learn
how global warming is threatening the Inuit's way of life. The event will be
punctuated by a ceremony in which the Inuit gather on the sea ice for a
dramatic photo to send an "Arctic Warning" to the world: the Arctic is
melting, pollution is causing it, and we can stop it before it's too late.
The Arctic is one of the most sensitive regions to the effects of global
warming, and is regarded by scientists as a barometer of changes to come in
the rest of the world. Recent major studies predict dramatic reductions in ice
and snow cover over the next fifty years in the Arctic Circle. That could
spell real trouble for the native peoples and wildlife inhabiting these remote
regions, and for the rest of us, because loss of the polar cap means loss of
the Earth's ability to deflect heat from the sun, causing global warming to
accelerate and oceans to rise worldwide.
The Inuit, led by the Inuit Circumpolar Conference, will file a petition
with the Human Rights Commission later this year to have global warming
declared a human rights violation. Global Green USA and NRDC (Natural
Resources Defense Council) have advocated for mandatory limits on global
warming emissions and for more investment in clean renewable energy solutions
such as wind and solar power.
"Global Warming is an abstract concept to most people; we know its
happening, but we can't really visualize its effect. Unfortunately, the Inuit
people put a human face on global warming, they are literally melting away.
They are the canary in the coal mine," said Jake Gyllenhaal.
According to scientists' most conservative estimates, half the summer sea
ice in the Arctic will melt by the end of this century, along with a
significant portion of the Greenland Ice Sheet, as the region warms an
additional seven to thirteen degrees Fahrenheit by 2100. Rising sea levels are
expected to accelerate as warming continues, according to the report of the
Arctic Climate Impact Assessment (ACIA).
Global warming is caused when heat-trapping emissions from burning of
fossil fuels collect in the atmosphere. The United States is the largest world
contributor of those emissions, yet has failed to enact limits.
"The Inuit people realize the challenges global warming present to their
way of life should be a warning to the rest of us in more temperate climates,"
said Dr. Dan Lashof, Science Director for NRDC's Climate Center. "It is now
clear we have to cut the pollution that causes global warming to prevent
dangerous changes in the climate."
The ACIA study found that global warming will present serious challenges
to the health and food security of some indigenous peoples, testing the
survival of some cultures.
"Each of us has a stake in combating global warming, and the Inuit have
reminded us that the clock is ticking," said Matt Petersen, President of
Global Green. "Without urgent adoption of clean energy solutions, the impact
to humanity from global warming will be incalculable. While our federal
government in the US fails to act, we must follow the lead of places such as
California, and Canada, that are actively reducing their global warming
emissions."
Also joining the delegation were California political leaders Joe Nation,
Assemblyman (CA) and Eric Garcetti, LA City Council member who are advocating
local legislation to reduce the impact from global warming. They are part of a
larger trend of states and local officials pushing for limits on global
warming pollution, in the absence of federal policy to combat the problem. For
example, California has passed a global warming emissions law for vehicles and
in the last elections Colorado voters approved a requirement that by 2015 ten
percent of all electricity come from renewable sources like wind and solar
power.
Global Green USA, the U.S. affiliate of Green Cross International led by
Mikhail S. Gorbachev, works in cooperation with individuals, industry, and
governments to create a global value shift toward a sustainable and secure
future. For more information, please visit http://www.globalgreen.org .
The Natural Resources Defense Council is a national, nonprofit
organization of scientists, lawyers and environmental specialists dedicated to
protecting public health and the environment. Founded in 1970, NRDC has more
than 1 million members and e-activists nationwide, served from offices in New
York, Washington, Santa Monica and San Francisco.
Conference Call Digital replay for reporters:
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Photos will be available after 4 p.m. EDT
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Satellite Feed Information Available Upon Request
Date: Saturday, April 23, 2005
Time: 0930-1000 et
SOURCE Global Green USA
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Related links:
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CONTACT:
Ruben Aronin of Global Green USA,
+1-310-612-5663, or Eben Burnham-Snyder of NRDC, +1-202-513-6254
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