On Martha's Vineyard, 'Frostpaw' the Polar Bear to Deliver Climate Message to President Obama

The Center for Biological Diversity's Frostpaw the Polar Bear will be in Martha's Vineyard in the coming days urging a vacationing President Obama to call off plans to drill for oil in the Arctic; reject the Keystone XL pipeline; and take powerful action to address the global climate crisis.

What: Frostpaw the Polar Bear and other climate activists will be on Martha's Vineyard urging President Obama to take strong action to curb climate change and slow down sea-level rise.

Where: Frostpaw is expected to show up at the farmers' market, Gay Head lighthouse, Bunches of Grapes bookstore, ice cream shops and other places on the island.

When: Monday, Aug. 17 through Thursday, Aug. 20.

Media Availability: Frostpaw and other Center activists are available for interviews. Contact Valerie Love.

Other Events: The Center's executive director, Kieran Suckling, will be speaking about wildlife and global environmental issues at an event at Gay Head Gallery on Wednesday, Aug. 19 from 5 to 7 p.m.

Background
Frostpaw the Polar Bear has followed President Obama for several years, from Washington, D.C. and Los Angeles to Hawaii and Martha's Vineyard.

"We're happy to see President Obama talking so strongly about addressing the climate crisis -- but we need his actions to match his rhetoric," said the Center's Valerie Love. "That hasn't happened yet. We're coming to Martha's Vineyard to urge the president that the time for action is now. The world can't wait."

Among the key calls for action to the president:

Reject, once and for all, the Keystone XL pipeline. The pipeline would transport up to 35 million gallons of oil every day from Canada's tar sands, raising the risk of disastrous spills (even the government admits it could spill 100 times in its lifetime) threatening people, wildlife and wild places. The pipeline also doubles down on dirty fossil fuels that drive the climate crisis.

Rescind proposals to drill offshore for oil in the Arctic and along the Atlantic coast. Not only does this offshore drilling worsen the climate crisis by expanding our reliance on fossil fuels; it also increases the risks of oil spills and other damage to wildlife including polar bears, birds and fish.

Halt all new fossil fuel development on public land. The federal government auctions off millions of acres of public land to private interests for drilling, fracking and mining -- and one-fifth of America's planet warming pollution stems from fossil fuel leases on public lands.

Cut greenhouse pollution from airplanes and other unregulated sources. The EPA recently found that airplane carbon pollution endangers our climate -- but now the agency must regulate these dangerous emissions, which are projected to more than triple by 2050, as well as other unregulated sources like refineries and cement plants.

Be an international climate leader. The whole world is watching and waiting for the United States to lead the global movement to solve the climate crisis. That will require visionary leadership, bold and binding plans, and setting a science-based U.S. target for carbon pollution cuts that put us on a path to avoid the worst effects of climate change.