friends of the earth international
press release
3 july 2005
g8: environmentalists speak on climate
and corporate power
friends of the earth international
speakers available for interview
EDINBURGH (SCOTLAND) July 3, 2005 -- High
profile Friends of the Earth campaigners from
around the world will be speaking on climate
justice and corporate globalisation and
privatisation at the 'G8 Alternatives Summit'
on Sunday July 3rd.
The speakers who come from countries which
are likely to suffer heavily from the impacts
of climate change will address audiences at
the day-long event which takes place in four
main venues across Edinburgh[1].
Meena Raman, Chair of Friends of the Earth
International [2] will address two plenary
sessions at different venues, one on
corporate globalisation and privatisation and
one on climate justice. Tatiana Roa Avendaño,
General Director of Friends of the Earth
Colombia [3] will be speaking on the urgent
need for climate justice. And Nnimmo Bassey,
Director of Friends of the Earth Nigeria,
will discuss corporate power, revealing
Shell's abuse of human rights, and the
environment, and making the case for tough
measures to dismantle corporate power.
Meena Raman, Chair of Friends of the Earth
International said:
"Just eight countries - the G8 - account
for 45% of the emissions causing climate
change, yet have only 13% of the world's
people: that's climate injustice. Unchecked,
climate change will impact most severely on
the world's poorest people. The G8 leaders
must act now and deliver real solutions to
climate change which do not just bring in
more profits for multinational companies but
instead genuinely benefit the world's
poor".
Tatiana Roa Avendaño, General Director of
Friends of the Earth Colombia:
"Climate change is real and its impacts
are already apparent now in Central and South
America. Countries in the south are having to
bear a triply unfair burden. More severe
impacts of climate change, unfair impacts of
measures designed to tackle climate change -
such as new plantation forests from which the
poor are excluded, and devastating impacts of
the continued quest for more oil. Instead of
supporting more fossil fuel exploitation, the
G8 must finance sustainable energy in
impoverished countries, and find real
solutions to deliver climate justice by
reducing emissions at home where most the
emissions are actually produced".
Nnimmo Bassey, Director of Friends of the
Earth Nigeria said:
"People of the world have not sold their
sovereignty to political leaders or their
proxies in the board rooms of multinational
corporations. Shell and other oil giants
dictate international policies on climate
change, hunger and poverty; they have
devastated lives and the environment in
Nigeria, whilst profiting from global climate
change. Yet the G8 leaders listen to them,
rather than affected communities. Instead of
plotting how to further line the pockets of
these companies, world leaders should regain
their own freedom and bring corporations
under control. Listen to the people
now!".
A Friends of the Earth briefing on G8 and
climate change can be found at
www.foei.org/media/2005/0622.html
FOR MORE INFORMATION or to arrange
interviews:
Edinburgh
Lang Banks or Michelle Lowe +44-(0)131 554
9977 (m) +44-(0)7813 766759 (p)
+44-(0)7654 200937
Helen Burley +44-(0)7778 069 930
London
Neil Verlander, + 44 (0)20 7566 1649/ + 44
(0)7712 843 209 (m)
NOTES:
[1] G8 Alternatives Summit in Edinburgh, 3
July 10am -9pm with four key themes - Africa,
climate, corporate globalisation and
war/peace Contact
http://www.g8alternatives.org.uk for further
information
FoE speakers at the Alternative
Summit:
Meena Raman:
Plenary Session on Corporate Globalisation
and Privatisation at 10.00-12.15 in the
Queens Hall, Clerk St, Edinburgh
Plenary Session on Climate Justice at
14.00-15.15 in the Assembly Hall, Royal Mile,
Edinburgh
Tatiana Roa Avendaño:
Plenary session on Climate Justice at
13.30-15.45 in the Queens Hall, Clerk St.
Nnimmo Bassey:
Plenary Session on Challenging Corporate
Power at 15.30-17.00 in the Assembly Hall,
Royal Mile. http://www.corporateg8.org
Friends of the Earth speakers will also be
at a range of other events during the week of
the summit including the Make Poverty History
March and the Global Warming 8 conference at
Our Dynamic Earth
[2] Meena Raman is the Chair of Friends of
the Earth International and Secretary General
of Friends of the Earth Malaysia. After
graduating from a Law degree Meena set up the
first public interest law firm in Malaysia,
and for 20 years has been involved in
environmental struggles in Malaysia including
the fight against multinational corporations,
defending indigenous peoples_ and local
communities rights over land, biodiversity
and natural resources. Meena was a founding
member of E-LAW - a network of environmental
lawyers worldwide.
[3] Tatiana Roa Avendaño is General
Director of CENSAT AGUA VIVA - Friends of the
Earth Colombia. An oil engineer, she has
promoted a series of campaigns against oil
exploitation and mining in indigenous lands
and environmentally significant areas in
Colombia. She also participates in Colombian
social movements that seek to reach a
political agreement for the social and
political struggle that afflicts their
country.
[4] Nnimmo Bassey, Director of Friends of
the Earth Nigeria is along term human rights
activist who has worked to uncover the
destructive activities of the several oil
companies operating in Niger Delta, including
Shell, ExxonMobil (Esso), ChevronTexaco and
to expose the human rights abuses that are
often government sanctioned in the Niger
Delta.
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