Ushuaia, Argentina/Amsterdam, 21 January 1997:

Greenpeace's ship MV Arctic Sunrise departed for Antarctica today on a expedition to document the emerging signs of climate change in the frozen continent. Leaving from Ushuaia in southern Argentina, the four week tour will involve Greenpeace crew and campaigners from around the world* and will visually document the ongoing climatic and ecosystem hanges that have been observed along the Antarctic Peninsula.

As a consequence of rapid increases in temperature vast areas of ice shelf--the large floating masses of ice surrounding the continents--are distintegrating along the coastlines of the Antarctic Peninsula. Other changes, such as declines in penguin populations, southward movement of seals and spreading c onies of flowering plants provide further evidence of climatic impacts.

"The Antarctic continent is experiencing signs of climate change," said Greenpeace climate impacts specialist Erwin Jackson. "Many of these changes are entirely consistent with global warming cause by human activities."

The effects of the warming on the Antarctic climate extend well beyond the Antarctic region itself, and may well have dramatic global repercussions. For example, the loss of sea-ice reduces the reflection of sunlight - known as albedo - and changes the ability of the ocean to absorb carbon dioxide and heat. Sea level rise associated with increased discharge from the ice sheets represents one of the greatest threats from human-induced climatic change.

"The severity of these changes foreshadow what could be coming to the rest of the world," said expedition leader Janet Dalziell: "Greenpeace will be taking the findings from this tour to world leaders in a call for action for drastic reductions in greenhouse gas emissions."

The expedition starts a year of Greenpeace campaigning to ensure that significant targets and timetables are agreed at the Third Climate Summit in Kyoto in December this yea

Contacts:

On board MV Arctic Sunrise: (ph +874 (or 871) 130 2577:

Janet Dalziell -- Expedition Leader, English

Erwin Jackson -- Climate Impacts Specialist, English

Martina Krueger -- German and Dutch

Emiliano Ezcurra -- Spanish

Greenpeace International press desk, Jon Walter ++31 20 5249 547

Note to editors:

The following nationalities are represented onboard of the Arctic Sunrise:

Argentina, Australia, Austria, Canada, Denmark, Germany, Japan, (former) Yugoslavia, The Netherlands, New Zealand, Russia Switzerland, United Kingdom, USA