Wow!! 8 Arctic Council Nations Agree Rapid Climate Change A Problem!! [View All]

No specific recommendations, of course . . .

"In a move environmentalists call a modest victory, the world's eight Arctic nations, including the United States, have agreed that climate change is threatening northern ecosystems and that greenhouse gases must be limited.

In its policy response to a comprehensive report on Arctic climate change, the Arctic Council has also agreed that governments must work with northern peoples to mitigate the effects of a warming climate and approach any new opportunities it creates with caution. However, no specific policy recommendations were made. "It's not the role of the Arctic Council to direct governments and say to them what to do," federal Environment Minister Stéphane Dion said from Reykjavik, where the council was meeting.

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The report, released earlier this month, was the result of four years of work by more than 300 scientists. It found that the Arctic is warming at twice the rate of the rest of the planet, that such warming is likely to affect southern regions, and that it would have significant effects on everything from northern lifestyles to infrastructure. Yesterday, the ministers agreed that strategies to mitigate climate change are required.

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Officials in Reykjavik put the best face on the lack of specific action proposals, calling it "the best possible declaration that could be adopted today." Previous reports suggested the U.S. delegation opposed stronger language in the policy response."

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http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/ArticleNews/TPStory/LAC/20041125/ARCTIC25/TPEnvironment/