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Change in the Arctic impacts all of us. Watch Thur 12/10 @ 9:45am ET: go.usa.gov/cBfEh #EarthRightNow #COP21 An Arctic-focused #COP21 live-streaming event Thur 12/10 @ 9:45am ET: go.usa.gov/cBfEh #EarthRightNow The Arctic: it’s not just polar bears. Watch Thur 12/10 @ 9:45am ET: go.usa.gov/cBfEh #EarthRightNow #COP21

FACEBOOK/INSTAGRAM What Happens in the Arctic Doesn’t Stay in the Arctic – a live-streamed event from COP21 in Paris Thursday, December 10 @ 9:45AM EST / 3:45PM CET / 2:45PM GMT Watch here: go.usa.gov/cBfEh

Speakers: Dr. John Holdren, Director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy Dr. Patrick Taylor, NASA Climate Scientist Christy Goldfuss, Managing Director at the White House Council on Environmental Quality

Today, the Arctic is changing at a dramatic pace as a result of global warming. Temperatures in the Arctic region are rising at more than twice the average global rate -- altering the lives of its approximately four million inhabitants. The impacts of Arctic climate change have become worse with wider implications, ranging from shifts in atmospheric circulation patterns to acceleration of global sea level rise.

Wherever you are, whoever you are, you are connected to the Arctic region. The Arctic affects our daily weather, our security, the food we eat, and our vast coastlines. As the Arctic continues to warm, dangerous feedback loops come into play. Shorter winters mean an increased prevalence of carbon-releasing wildfires. Warming also promotes thawing of permafrost, soil that remains frozen throughout the year, which could release as much 150 billion tons of carbon into the atmosphere by the end next century – the equivalent of adding 300 million cars to the road. Scientists and global leaders understand the transformations occurring in the Arctic as signs of the global crisis unfolding – one that can only be effectively addressed through international collaboration. This event will discuss the global implications of Arctic climate change and the international approaches needed to adequately address them.