THE sight of Santa Claus cruising the River Ouse with dolphins might have puzzled many a York shopper.
But that is exactly what shoppers were treated to when World-Wide Fund For Nature (WWF) volunteer Chris Stride, from Dringhouses, York, donned a red suit and boarded a boat with 12 inflatable dolphins attached.
The stunt staged between Skeldergate and Ouse Bridges had a serious message attached - that if steps are not taken to combat climate change, Santa's Lapland home could soon be under water.
A study, Arctic Climate Change With A 2 Degree C Global Warming, by Dr Mark New of Oxford University, suggests that the Earth may have warmed by two degrees above pre-industrial levels as early as the year 2026.
Mark Mclachlan, of the WWF, said with York already susceptible to extreme flooding, the sight of Santa sailing up the Ouse could be become a regular feature of Christmas in 50 or so year's time.
He said: "Climate change predictions for the North of England show that winters are to become wetter - with up to a 50 per cent increase expected by 2080s in some parts - with increased rainfall and greater inflow to estuaries and the sea."
Updated: 11:23 Friday, December 23, 2005
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