'Penguins' in New Brighton highlighting climate change (From Wirral Globe)

'Penguins' in New Brighton highlighting climate change

2:51pm Monday 19th October 2009

PLEASE NOTE: THE PENGUINS ARE NO LONGER ON NEW BRIGHTON BEACH

A COLONY of penguins has been spotted on New Brighton beach in what appears to be an avian version of artist Anthony Gormley’s Another Place sculptures over Liverpool Bay at Crosby.

This time, though, the installations have a very different message to tell than that of the 100 cast iron men across the water.

The penguins are a tool to help tell the people of Merseyside that climate change is not happening in places like the Antarctic, where penguins live - it's also happening here.

The 'Not Another Place' landing coincides with the announcement of the Environment Agency's partnership with Go Penguins, a project by Wild in Art, the company behind last year’s successful Superlambananas.

It will see more than 100 of the flightless birds installed across Merseyside to celebrate Liverpool’s Year of the Environment.

The Environment Agency have commissioned three of the 5ft penguins who will be placed around Liverpool City Centre.

The penguins will carry designs to raise awareness of key environmental issues affecting the people of Merseyside.

Keith Ashcroft, Environment Agency area manager, said: "We are all aware that climate change is happening but it is important we understand what climate change will mean for our communities here in Merseyside.

"We are seeing the impacts of severe weather now, and we are going to have to deal with more frequent and extreme weather events in the future, like heat waves, droughts, storms and flooding.

"The three penguins we have commissioned will help to deliver these important messages to the communities and businesses of Merseyside.

"Climate change is not happening in another place, it is happening here."