Hillary Clinton hosts polar summit as Antarctic Wilkens bridge collapses

April 6, 10:05 PMSeattle Environmental Policy ExaminerJean Williams

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On the same day, April 6, 2009, Hillary Clinton was meeting with experts at a polar summit opening ceremony in Baltimore, Maryland to discuss limits on tourism and other measures to protect the ice caps; Antarctic’s Wilkens ice shelf collapsed.   

Senator Clinton is hosting the premier event to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Antarctic Treaty from April 6 to April 17, in Baltimore.  The meeting is to promote  diplomatic agreements aimed at safeguarding the polar ice caps.  They are considered to be the Earth’s thermometer, because they reflect the sun‘s powerful rays back into the atmosphere.  However, when the protective ice shelves melt or thin out, more sun rays penetrate the water, which cause temperatures to rise and result in dramatic climate variations or climate change.

Stuart McDill and Alister Doyle of Reuters were thankful they were not present when the ice bridge they had recently visited, that had seemed so permanent, broke into a crumbled collection of icebergs.  The concern when ice plates break off, is that gigantic slabs of ice behind them, will gradually move into the vacated space, which raises the sea level and can cause damage to coastal regions.

According to Margot O’Neill of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, “it's the eighth Antarctic ice shelf to begin breaking up or to disappear in the last few decades and it confirms scientist’s fears about the rapid and dramatic effects of global warming.”