CLIMATE PROTESTS TURN THE HEAT ON KEY UN
CLIMATE CHANGE MEETING
November 3, 2006 -- International
demonstrations on climate change will take
place worldwide on November 4, putting
pressure on governments attending key United
Nations climate talks due to start in
Nairobi, Kenya on November 6, 2006. [1]
Negotiators in Nairobi are set to discuss
future action after 2012, when the first
phase of the Kyoto climate change treaty will
end. Demonstrators in more than forty five
countries around the world are calling on
world leaders to take the urgent action
needed to prevent a catastrophic
destabilisation of global climate. [2]
Ministers will meet in Nairobi against
this backdrop of growing calls for action on
climate change, with demonstrations and
rallies planned from Vancouver to Taipei,
from Stockholm to Dhaka and from Paris to
Abuja. Demonstrations are also planned in
Nairobi on Saturday the 11th of November,
midway through the climate talks. [3]
“Climate change is rapidly becoming the
number one global justice issue and these
global demonstrations reflect this fact.
Faced with thousands of people across the
world all demanding action on climate change,
Ministers arriving in Nairobi must not forget
they're negotiating the future for the
planet,” said Catherine Pearce, Friends of
the Earth International climate campaigner.
“We have learnt this week that climate change
could push the world into the worst recession
in recent history, comparable to the downturn
of the great depression and two world wars
[4]. Meeting in Africa, a continent already
hit hard by our warming world, we need to see
far greater attention to meet the needs of
the most vulnerable,” added Catherine
Pearce.
Some events planned:
AUSTRALIA
: Friends of
the Earth Australia participates in a ‘Walk
Against Warming' in Brisbane. For more
information:
http://www.walkagainstwarming.org/
BRAZIL
: Awareness
raising activities by Friends of the Earth
Brazil. For more information contact Carolina
Herrmann, Friends of the Earth Brazil,
Carolina@natbrasil.org.br
, Tel: + 55 51 3332 8884
FINLAND
: Friends of the
Earth in Finland is among the organisers of
‘climate marches' in six different cities to
demand that the Finnish government takes a
leading role in tackling climate change. For
more information contact Meri Pukarinen from
Maan Ystavat on +358 50 329 3479.
GERMANY
: Friends of the
Earth Germany (BUND) plans an event in front
of the Brandenburg Gate on the 6th of
November. For more information contact
presse@bund.net
UNITED KINGDOM
: Friends
of the Earth is part of the Climate Chaos
Coalition, and part of the group organising a
major rally in Trafalgar Square, London. The
event involves a mass gathering of thousands
of people to hear music, entertainment and
inspiring speakers - all demanding that the
UK Government puts in place year on year
emissions reductions in the UK, and shows
leadership internationally by taking action
on climate change. Various feeder events will
also join the event - a big march of
campaigners from a rally in Grosvenor Square
outside the US embassy and thousands of
students from People & Planet. Friends of
the Earth is also part of the ICount
campaign, signing up thousands of people to
take personal and political action. Check for
more info at
http://www.icount.org.uk/
For more information: Neil Verlander, Friends
of the Earth Press Office in London. Tel: +
44 20 7566 1649/ + 44 7712 843 209
FOR MORE INFORMATION
Catherine Pearce, Friends of the Earth
International climate campaigner, Tel: + 44
7811 283 641 (mobile)
Jan Kowalzig, Friends of the Earth Europe
climate campaigner in Belgium Tel:
+32-496-384-696 (mobile)
NOTES
[1] For more information about the UN
climate talks in Nairobi see our briefing
here
http://www.foei.org/media/2006/1031.html
[2] For more information about the
demonstrations visit
www.globalclimatecampaign.org
[3] the agenda of the UN talks is online
here:
http://unfccc.int/meetings/cop_12/items/3754.php
[4] A new report by commissioned by the UK
government draws a gloomy picture on climate
change impacts on the global economy but also
says that averting the crisis is well within
our hands - at the costs of 1% of global GDP,
avoiding economic damages of about 10% of
global GDP. See ‘Stern Review on the
Economics of Climate Change', published
October 2006, see
http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/independent_reviews/stern_review_economics_climate_change/sternreview_index.cfm
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