Hill Heat

As the first hurricane of the season thunders through the Atlantic Ocean this week, Gulf Coast students, along with a U.S. Forest Service expert, will brief Congress on the vulnerability of the Cumberland, Mobile, and Tennessee River Basins and tell their story on how global warming can affect our water, our land, and our lives.

Due to their experience with Hurricane Katrina, these two dozen students from Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama are taking action to prevent further deterioration of the climate for the sake of their coastal home and their generation which will live through the impacts to come. They will present their own research and perspectives on how their findings will affect the future, and on the needs for strong policy in the government, and a scientifically informed public dialogue on issues related to climate change.

Chairman Edward J. Markey and the Select Committee on Energy Independence and Global Warming are hosting the students, who were selected for the World Wildlife Fund Allianz Southeast Climate Witness Program based on their academic achievements, their interest in the environment and climate change, and their leadership experience.

• 25 Gulf Coast high school students from WWF Allianz Southeast Climate Witness Program
• Chairman Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.)
• Dr. Steve McNulty, US Forest Service Ginette Hemley, Senior Vice President of Conservation Strategy and Science, World Wildlife Fund
• Rev. Christopher Worthley, Executive Director, Allianz Foundation for North America