Ed Tyll-Radio Host
WWF launches Earth Hour City Challenge to encourage cities to char climate smart futures
WHAT: TELEPHONE INTERVIEWS AVAILABLE, 5- to 8-minutes each
WHO: World Wildlife Fund (WWF) Expert, Keya Chatterjee, Director of Climate Policy
Extreme weather poses significant financial, health and property risks to cities and their residents. Across the U.S., dangerous weather events are becoming more frequent or severe – or both. Multiple studies have linked these trends to the changing climate.
The impacts of these events – from food shortages to catastrophic destruction of roads, bridges, and homes – are expected to accelerate and worsen as temperature and precipitation patterns change. And the repair of this infrastructure is costly – in 2011, a record-setting 14 disasters each caused over $1 billion in damage.
To inspire local action to address the growing threats of climate change, WWF launched the Earth Hour City Challenge, a competition among cities and counties to prepare for increasingly extreme weather and take steps to transition towards a 100% renewable energy future.
The Earth Hour City Challenge aims to empower and reward participating cities that take steps to reduce their carbon footprint and prepare for the climate-related severe weather to come, such as drought, flooding rains, extreme heat, and more intense coastal storms coupled with sea level rise.
The participating cities that implement the most ambitious actions will receive public recognition for their leadership and be eligible to win grants of $30,000 or more from WWF. A U.S. Earth Hour Capital will be selected by an international jury in December 2012.
Ms. Keya Chatterjee, Director of Climate Policy, will be available to discuss the Earth Hour City Challenge, the status of climate change policy in Washington, and why WWF is calling on the U.S. Congress and administration to act.
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ABOUT WORLD WILDLIFE FUND
WWF is the world’s leading conservation organization, working in 100 countries for nearly half a century. With the support of almost 5 million members worldwide, WWF is dedicated to delivering science-based solutions to preserve the diversity and abundance of life on Earth, halt the degradation of the environment and combat climate change. Visit www.worldwildlife.org to learn more.
Date Recorded: 6/13/2012
Podcast of the interview Download:
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