Kerry gets climate update from scientists on Svalbard

Svalbard.US Secretary of State John Kerry (L) and Foreign Minister Børge Brende at Longyearbyen airport.. : Håkon Mosvold Larsen / NTB scanpix

US Secretary of State John Kerry arrived on Svalbard on Thursday morning.While he’s there, climatologists will bring the latest news about how the climate has changed in the North.
The Foreign Minister of Norway, Børge Brende (H) will be the guide of Kerry during the visit.

– I am glad to have been given this opportunity to show the importance of Svalbard in international polar research. Much of the knowledge that we now possess on climate change, is based on data collected on Svalbard and in Ny-Ålesund. We are keen to continue to develop the role of Svalbard  as a platform for international research and monitoring, says Brende.
The two foreign ministers arrived in Longyearbyen on Thursday morning and were received by Governor Kjerstin Askholt.
They will travel on from Longyearbyen to the research base in Ny-Ålesund. They will also travel into the fjords in the area by boat to take a closer look at them .
– The Arctic area is the area with the quickest rate of climate change. In Ny-Ålesund we have been able to see with our own eyes how the glaciers have receded in  a period of just a few years,  Brende says.
During the visit to Oslo on Wednesday Kerry  said that he looked forward to the visit.
– We go there to learn more about the amazing efforts of our scientists to help us understand how changes in the polar regions affects us all, said Kerry.

 

Source: NTB scanpix / Norway Today