28/06/2005 - Visitors
to the International Festival of the Sea in
Portsmouth will find a giant polar bear sitting
in a deck chair on the beach. The polar bear
is obviously just a model, but, as the Environment
Agency exhibition at the Festival shows, climate
change could mean that species will have to
adapt and move their range or face possible
extinction.
To explain what climate change means and to
bring home the Environment Agency’s message
a life size beach complete with wooden breakwaters
and sandcastles has been built especially
for the Festival.
If our climate warms up as many experts predict,
Southern England could become much warmer
and drier. But if it gets colder we might
experience the climate of Northern Canada
and polar bears could then change their range
and get much closer to our islands!
"Whilst the polar bear is an extreme
example of what could happen, it is far more
likely that we will see a marked increase
in the South in the number of floods and droughts
that we experience."
The Environment Agency exhibition explains
why climate change is so important to us all.
It also gives suggestions as to how we can
all play our part in helping to stop the more
extreme predictions becoming a reality.
Moored alongside the Environment Agency’s
stand will be Sea Vigil. The vessel carries
out coastal survey work all along the South
coast. The information it gathers is playing
an invaluable role in helping Environment
Agency scientists monitor changes in the marine
environment caused by climate change and human
activities.
The Environment Agency’s Area Manager for
Hampshire and the Isle of Wight, Harvey Bradshaw
said, "We all need to be aware of the
dangers that climate change might bring. The
recent floods in North Yorkshire and in Boscastle
and Carlisle show how the weather can rapidly
change and bring devastation to many lives.
"We all need to take action now to help
stop the global warming which scientists believe
is changing our climate."
To find our more visit the Environment Agency’s
stand at the Festival of the Sea. The exhibition
and Sea Vigil can be found in Zone 3 at G9.
