Greenpeace urges defence of planet through civil disobedience

The first climate action camp runs from today to August 30 at Camp Meywasin (Lake Wabamun) just outside Edmonton and brings bring over 30 people from throughout Alberta and Saskatchewan to be trained on a variety of different topics.

The series of action camps will bring hundreds of people together to train as ''climate defenders'' and learn how to undertake acts of civil disobedience to pressure the federal government to become a leader on climate change in the lead-up to the UN climate conference in Copenhagen in December-considered the most important climate meeting of our generation.

"Our planet is under attack and stands at the brink of climatic collapse. Our camps will help give people the tools to start fighting back," said Mike Hudema, Climate and Energy Campaigner with Greenpeace, Canada. "Denial is not a solution to the climate crisis; we need real solutions and action now. Millions of people are already threatened by catastrophic climate change and that number will rise the longer we wait. We need action now."

The Alberta tar sands, another focus of the action camp, are the fastest growing source of greenhouse gas emissions in Canada. Emissions will get worse as tar sands development increases. The desire of governments to exploit the tar sands is a big reason for Canada's decision to ignore its international commitments to reduce greenhouse gas emissions under the Kyoto Protocol and the reason Canada has changed from being a leader to a laggard in international climate negotiations.

"The tar sands are causing incredible and irreversible destruction to the environment - to water, to forests, to the atmosphere," said Mike Hudema. "In addition, they may be causing health problems and/or killing people in downstream communities. It's time we stand up and fight for a new green world that doesn't sacrifice our environment or our communities and this weekend participants will learn how to do just that."

Future camps are planned for Toronto, Montreal, Halifax and Vancouver.

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