U.S. and other global leaders agreed Monday that climate change poses a grave threat to the Arctic and the world, sending a strong message of cooperation ahead of a major meeting in Paris at the end of the year to hash out a global deal on greenhouse gas emissions.
The countries issued a joint communiqué Monday from a meeting of Arctic nations in Anchorage, Alaska. President Obama will address the meeting of foreign ministers and nation states later Monday night.
“Climate change poses a grave challenge in the Arctic and to the world,” the communiqué reads. “But these challenges also present an imperative for cooperation, innovation and engagement as we work together to safeguard this vital region and to inform the world why the Arctic matters to us all.”
The meeting included foreign ministers and other representatives from France, Germany, Italy, Japan, South Korea, the Netherlands, Poland, Singapore, Spain, the United Kingdom and the European Union.
The countries used the conference to “affirm our strong determination to work together and with others to achieve a successful, ambitious outcome at the international climate negotiations in December in Paris this year,” the communiqué reads.
The Paris meeting of the United Nations is meant to hash out a global agreement to curb emissions and reduce global warming. Many scientists say man-made emissions from the burning of fossil fuels are causing the Earth’s climate to warm, resulting in changes in the planet’s climate and weather. This warming effect is most evident in the Arctic, where sea ice is receding at an increasing rate.
The communiqué says the changes in the Arctic underscore the importance of taking action to measure the effects to the region and offer assistance to indigenous groups.
They also outlined steps to reduce methane and black carbon in the region. Black carbon comes from the inefficient burning of fossil fuels, which has been blamed for exacerbating the effects of global warming.
