UNEP Releases Video on Climate Change

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UNEP Releases Video on Climate Change as Part of its Two Minutes on Oceans with Jim Toomey series

Washington, D.C. 20 March, 2013 – The United Nations Environment Programme’s Regional Office for North America (UNEP RONA) and syndicated cartoonist Jim Toomey are pleased to announce the release of their new video on climate change and its connections to our oceans and coastal communities. The video is part of an innovative awareness-raising project called Two Minutes on Oceans with Jim Toomey.

In response to all the queries on climate change and whether it is really happening, UNEP has released this video to help distill the science and make clear the connections between human activities and climate change.

The Inter-governmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) determined with high confidence that human activities play a key role in the substantial warming trends taking place around the globe IPCC, 2007: Climate Change 2007: Synthesis Report. Contribution of Working Groups I, II and III to the Fourth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change [Core Writing Team, Pachauri, R.K and Reisinger, A. (eds.)]. IPCC, Geneva, Switzerland, 104 pp.. The video presents hard facts about climate change in a creative way that encourages individuals, organizations and decision-makers to take action.

“It is important that people understand the truth about climate change. The fact is, it is real, it is happening, and, most importantly, we can do something about it. The video is aimed at providing the facts about climate change in a way that is fun and accessible to a broad audience,” says Amy Fraenkel, Director of UNEP RONA.

The first video dealt with Blue Carbon and the ability of healthy oceans and coastal ecosystems to absorb carbon dioxide. It was launched last year on World Oceans Day in Washington D.C. at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History. The video on Marine Litter, the second in the series, was launched in September 2012, and coincided with the 26thInternational Coastal Cleanup Day. The three subsequent ocean-related videos will focus on the True Value of Oceans, Nutrient Runoff and Ocean Acidification and will be released throughout 2013.

Using animation and humor, the videos provide, in clear and simple language, information about cutting-edge science and policy issues regarding our oceans, the importance of oceans to human well-being, and the challenges facing our oceans. Each ends with a call to action for individuals, decision-makers, and organizations all across North America.

“Climate Change is a tricky topic to address in just two minutes, much less with a humorous spin. There’s nothing funny about the expected consequences of climate change on the planet, and I hope that this video will help enlighten audiences and inspire us to take action.” says Jim Toomey.

You can watch the latest video online at: http://www.rona.unep.org/toomey, or find us on Facebook at: https://www.facebook.com/RONA.UNEP.

For more information about this video and others in the series, or to help UNEP promote this ocean-awareness initiative, please contact:

· Elisabeth Guilbaud-Cox, Head of Communications, UNEP RONA at elisabeth.guilbaud-cox@unep.org, Tel.: (202) 974-1307 or (202) 812-2100

· Monika Thiele, Programme Officer, UNEP RONA at monika.thiele@unep.org, Tel.: (202) 974-1309

About UNEP’s Regional Office for North America

The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) is the leading authority on the environment within the United Nations system. RONA’s mission is to build support in the region for UNEP’s work, to promote effective responses to international environmental challenges and to foster cooperation on environmental issues between North America and the broader international community. To achieve this mission, RONA’s strategy is to promote collaboration between UNEP and all sectors of North American society, including U.S. and Canadian governmental institutions, the private sector, non-governmental organizations and other civil society groups.