Hundreds of Thousands of Canadians Call for Urgent Action on Climate Change
OTTAWA--On the opening day of the Copenhagen Climate Summit, three prominent Canadians from organizations supporting the KYOTOplus petition campaign will speak at a press conference on behalf of the 152,843 Canadians that have signed the petition and 120 organizations calling for a sustainable Canada. The press conference will take place on the same day as the presentation of the KYOTOplus petitions in Copenhagen as part of the over 10 million petition signatures from the Tck Tck Tck campaign being delivered to United Nations representatives.
"Canadians are sending a clear message to the Harper government - we want climate action, we want to be part of the solution," said Maude Barlow, National Chairperson for the Council of Canadians. "This government, stuck in the tar sands, is not listening - this must change.”
At previous climate summits, the Harper government has demonstrated an unwillingness to negotiate, instead insisting elements of previous agreements be rewritten. Canada was the only country to back away from its Kyoto commitments, allowing its greenhouse gas emissions to rise by 26 per cent instead of working to cut emissions by the promised six per cent.
"Let's make no mistake: our pollution is destroying the lives and livelihoods of the world's most vulnerable people,” said Robert Fox, Executive Director of Oxfam Canada. "We see the ravages of climate change every day in Africa, Asia and Latin America, where the people who have done the least to create this problem are hit first and hardest by droughts and by erratic and violent weather. Canada must pay its fair share for the damage already done."
KYOTOplus calls on the Canadian government to set a national target to cut greenhouse gas emissions at least 25 per cent from 1990 levels by 2020 and to implement an effective national plan to reach this target.
The petition also calls for Canada to help developing countries to reduce their emissions and adapt to climate change.
"KYOTOplus demonstrates that Canadians want real action on global warming, not hollow promises and communications strategies," said John Bennett, Executive Director of the Sierra Club Canada. "We will be watching the actions of our government in Copenhagen."
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For more information contact:
Michael Bernard Communications Coordinator Climate Action Network Canada
