Statement on Antarctic Ice Shelf Breakup

Environmental Defense
Wednesday, 20 March 2002

Environmental Defense senior scientist Dr. Janine Bloomfield:

"Indications are that significantly warmer ocean and air temperatures in recent decades have led to a startlingly quick breakup of this Antarctic ice shelf. This is exactly the kind of condition scientists tell us is likely to become more and more common with global climate change.

"The rapid disappearance of ice shelves that have existed for thousands of years is a chilling reminder that emitting ever-increasing amounts of greenhouse gas pollution into the atmosphere is like conducting a vast uncontrolled experiment on Earth, with no turning back. The United States, as the world's largest greenhouse gas emitter, must re-join the rest of the world in the effort to control this pollution and avoid the potentially disastrous consequences of global warming."

Environmental Defense, a leading national nonprofit organization based in New York, represents more than 300,000 members. Since 1967 we have linked science, economics, and law to create innovative, equitable, and cost-effective solutions to the most urgent environmental problems.

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