INTERNATIONAL REPORT FINDS GLOBAL WARMING EFFECTS IN NEW ENGLAND - FORESEES WORSE TO COME

New England Climate Change Group Joins with Business, Universities, Nonprofits To Create Model Response for Region

Portsmouth, NH (February 19, 2001) - A major new report released by the world's leading climate change scientists tells a grim story of how New England may face environmental pressures over the next century that could radically alter its ecosystems and take an enormous toll on the regional economy.

The report, Climate Change 2001: Impacts, Adaptation, and Vulnerability, is the strongest warning to date about the worldwide threat of global warming. The report was released in Geneva, Switzerland, by the U.N.-sponsored Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).

"This is the first time that scientists have produced a catalogue of what appear to be the early effects of climate change that are being reported from all over the globe," stated Adam Markham, Executive Director of Clean Air-Cool Planet, a nonprofit group dedicated to finding regional solutions. "Some of the most worrisome examples of this unwelcome trend are from New England, and that brings the issue home in no uncertain terms."

Markham called on New England's civil society - its businesses, universities, faith-based organizations and citizens - to work together to develop strategies that effectively respond to what could be catastrophic changes in the coming decades.

New England warning signs specifically mentioned in the IPCC report include earlier thawing of lakes and rivers, increasing numbers of severe storms and the shifting to the north of the breeding ranges of certain species of birds. Other recent studies show that warmer winters are having a negative impact on maple syrup production throughout New England and harming populations of winter flounder in southern New England, and may also be contributing to the increasing incidence of Lyme disease.

The IPCC report confirms that during the past 100 years global warming has already affected weather and ecosystems around the globe. The trend is predicted to continue, bringing with it major changes that include worsening floods and droughts, greater incidence of disease, and loss of species and habitats. An earlier IPCC report, released this past January, predicted that by 2100, average global temperatures are expected to be 1.5-6.0 degrees C higher than they are today.

The science panel's report presents strong evidence that warming is increasing the risk of extreme weather events in the U.S. New England already has seen an increase in severe storms, and sea level rise is occurring here twice as fast as it has at any time in the past 5000 years. The impacts of climate change are expected to substantially worsen in the region. Regional problems highlighted by the IPCC include:

• Reduced snowfall and changed ice conditions, threatening the tourism and winter recreation industries, including skiing, snowboarding and ice fishing;
• More smog and ozone pollution caused by higher summer temperatures, leading to increased respiratory problems;
• Disruption of ecosystems and the possible extinction of rare plants and animals. Affected species include sugar maple, the monarch butterfly, wood warblers and oysters;
• Increased coastal flooding, erosion and property loss; and
• Increased weather-related losses to horticultural crops like apples, potatoes, pumpkins, cabbage and tomatoes.

According to the report, the global economic impacts of climate change are almost certain to be negative, and they likely will fall disproportionately on the poor. Agricultural impacts are likely to hit smaller producers and low-income urban consumers the worst.

"This is a pretty scary global weather forecast," said Markham, "and clearly New England is going to be in the eye of the storm."

"But we don't just have to sit on our hands and wait for the worst to happen," he added. "New England businesses and communities can also be at the center of the drive to implement solutions, many of which already exist. These include increased energy efficiency, a strong commitment to renewable sources of electricity, sensible transportation policies, better public transit and land-use decisions that recognize their potential effects on world temperature."

Clean Air-Cool Planet is a regional, non-profit organization that works with others to bring about timely reductions in greenhouse gas emissions across the Northeast. Based in Portsmouth, N.H., its strategy is to build and energize a broad-based alliance of corporations, universities, towns, schools, hospitals, citizen groups, faith-based institutions, community organizations, artists and individuals in the Northeast to take action to halt global warming. A major focus of its effort is to work with business to promote effective climate change strategies.

A summary of the IPCC report is posted on the Internet at www.ipcc.ch

Additional materials on New England's changing climate can be found on the website of the New England Regional Assessment: http://www.necci.sr.unh.edu/reports.html

About Clean Air-Cool Planet
Clean Air- Cool Planet inspires coordinated action among citizens, businesses, government, and community leaders throughout the Northeast to achieve reductions in greenhouse gases. CA-CP has forged effective partnerships with major businesses and corporations in the region, including Shaw’s Supermarkets, The Timberland Company, and Verizon. Visit www.cleanair-coolplanet.org.

Contact: Clean Air-Cool Planet
Bill Burtis, Communications Manager, (603) 422-6464 ext. 105
bburtis@cleanair-coolplanet.org