On Thursday, April 2 at 10:30 a.m. EDT, Pew Environment Group and World Wildlife Fund will lead a press conference call to preview the first-ever joint Arctic Council/ Antarctic Treaty Ministerial Meeting on April 6 and the Antarctic Treaty Consultative Meeting which runs for the following 10 days.
Never before have these groups come together to discuss urgent global issues impacting both the Arctic and Antarctica. These meetings come at a time when the poles are sending critical signals about global climate change. Nearly 400 diplomats, polar scientists, government officials and non-governmental organizations from 47 countries and 29 consultative parties will discuss issues including the rapid loss of Arctic and Antarctic ice habitat and the rapid, localized depletion of Antarctic krill, the primary food source for Antarctic whales, seals and penguins.
WHAT:
Expert briefing to provide an overview of high-level, first-ever ministerial meetings, key issues to be discussed and expected outcomes
CALL LOGISTICS:
NUMBER - 800-311-9405 (United States)
NUMBER - 888-259-2914 (Canada)
NUMBER
- 80011734 (Norway)
PASSWORD - polar
WHEN:
Thursday, April 2, 2009 at 10:30 a.m. EDT
WHO:
- Gerald Leape, Director, Antarctic Krill Conservation Project, Pew Environment Group (moderator)
- Neil Hamilton, Director, WWF International Arctic Programme
- Evan Bloom, Deputy Director, Office of Ocean and Polar Affairs, U.S. Department of State
This call will be recorded as an mp3 and will be posted to www.krillcount.org and www.worldwildlife.org/arctic approximately three hours after the call ends.
ABOUT WORLD WILDLIFE FUND
WWF is the world’s leading conservation organization, working in 100 countries for nearly half a century. With the support of almost 5 million members worldwide, WWF is dedicated to delivering science-based solutions to preserve the diversity and abundance of life on Earth, halt the degradation of the environment and combat climate change. Visit www.worldwildlife.org to learn more.
Contacts:
WWF
Joe Pouliot, 202-476-9919
joe.pouliot@wwfus.org
or
Pew
Dave
Bard, 202-486-4426
dbard@pewtrusts.org
