September, 17 2009, 11:43am EDT
As Arctic Sea Ice Reaches 2009 Minimum, Pressure Builds On Senate To Pass Climate Bill This Year
2009 Ice Melt Continues Rapid Decline Observed over Last Three Decades
WASHINGTON
Ice coverage over the Arctic sea has likely reached its lowest level
for 2009 - the third lowest amount of coverage on record - based on
data collected by the National Snow and Ice Data Center.
This
year's summer melt continues a trend of rapid sea ice decline over the
past 30 years. The average sea ice extent for August 2009 was 2.42
million square miles - about 540,000 square miles below the 1979 to
2000 average. That decline is larger than the states of Texas,
California, Florida and Indiana combined.
World Wildlife Fund issued the following statement from Keya Chatterjee, acting director of WWF's climate change program:
"The
Arctic is sounding an alarm for our future. In every region of the US,
the impacts of climate change are transforming landscapes, imperiling
agriculture and other industries, and threatening our economy. As the
Arctic melts, Western forests burn, Midwestern communities flood, and
coastal areas brace for stronger storms.
"Climate change is a
crisis that cannot be put off until next year. It must be addressed
now. The costs of inaction are too high. It is critical that the Senate
pass a climate bill this year which would greatly increase the
likelihood of world governments reaching a global climate agreement
this December in Copenhagen.
"The Earth is not waiting for a more favorable political environment. Neither should the Senate Leadership."
NOTE TO EDITORS: Keya
Chatterjee and other climate experts are available for interviews to
discuss the significance of the 2009 Arctic summer sea ice melt.
For additional information on 2009 Arctic sea ice melt, please visit https://wwfblogs.org/climate/content/sea-ice-reaches-annual-minimum-impacts-arctic-warming-grow.
Earlier this month, WWF issued a report examining the implications of a warming Arctic on the rest of the planet: https://www.worldwildlife.org/what/wherewework/arctic/arctic-climate-feedbacks.html.
World Wildlife Fund is the largest multinational conservation organization in the world, works in 100 countries and is supported by 1.2 million members in the United States and close to 5 million globally. WWF's unique way of working combines global reach with a foundation in science, involves action at every level from local to global, and ensures the delivery of innovative solutions that meet the needs of both people and nature.
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Sanders Says 'Political Movement,' Not Murder, Is the Path to Medicare for All
"Killing people is not the way we're going to reform our healthcare system," he said. "The way we're going to reform our healthcare system is having people come together."
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Addressing the assassination of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson and conversations it has sparked about the country's for-profit system, longtime Medicare for All advocate Sen. Bernie Sanders on Wednesday condemned the murder and stressed that getting to universal coverage will require a movement challenging corporate money in politics.
"Look, when we talk about the healthcare crisis, in my view, and I think the view of a majority of Americans, the current system is broken, it is dysfunctional, it is cruel, and it is wildly inefficient—far too expensive," said Sanders (I-Vt.), whose position is backed up by various polls.
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"Killing people is not the way we're going to reform our healthcare system," Sanders added. "The way we're going to reform our healthcare system is having people come together and understanding that it is the right of every American to be able to walk into a doctor's office when they need to and not have to take out their wallet."
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Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.)—a co-sponsor of Sanders' Medicare for All Act—similarly toldHuffPost in a Tuesday interview, "The visceral response from people across this country who feel cheated, ripped off, and threatened by the vile practices of their insurance companies should be a warning to everyone in the healthcare system."
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