Feature story - June 18, 2010
(Mount Logan, Yukon) — The Greenpeace expedition team that was hoping to reach the highest peak in Canada to send a message about what should be the highest priority at the G8/G20 meetings — stopping climate change — has been forced to abandon the climb due to safety concerns.
Pierre Boutin, Frederic Bleau and Jean Philippe Leblanc at Camp 2.
© Greenpeace
Greenpeace Canada voluntary climb leader Frederic Bleau and experienced climbers Pierre Boutin and Jean Philippe Leblanc still plan to spread the message that the world can’t wait for world leaders to take long overdue action on the climate crisis, which claims more than 300,000 human lives a year, according to the Global Humanitarian Forum.
“We embarked on this challenging expedition to show G8/G20 leaders that Greenpeace is willing to climb great heights and take great risks to draw attention to the urgent need for action on climate change,” Bleau said from the mountain. “We will continue in our efforts to get our message to decision-makers.”
The team had to abandon its expedition as it was moving to its second-last campsite before attempting to summit because one of the climbers fell some 15 metres into a crevasse that was covered by snow from a storm they had weathered. The climber was not hurt, and the team managed to get him out, but lost some essential gear that would have allowed them to continue the expedition safely and camp on the mountain. Only about 25 per cent of Mount Logan climbers reach the peak.
The Greenpeace expedition to the second highest peak in North America was planned in advance of the G8/G20 meetings in Huntsville, and Toronto, Ont., from June 25 and 27, to capture the attention of world leaders and pressure them to discuss climate change at their meetings. At the peak, the team had planned to unfurl a banner reading “G8/G20: Stop climate change,” and send out photos by satellite to get their urgent message to the summit leaders and people around the world.
“Canadians think climate change should be the top priority at the G8/G20 meetings and Greenpeace agrees,” said Dave Martin, Greenpeace climate and energy policy adviser. “We are urging world leaders to use their power to prevent catastrophic climate change by establishing stronger reduction targets for greenhouse gas emissions and providing leadership on a green economy.”
Greenpeace recently released an updated study on sustainable energy, Energy [R]evolution: A Sustainable World Energy Outlook, which outlines a blueprint for developing a 100-per-cent renewable energy supply for the world.
The expedition was organized by Haut Défi, a Montreal-based team of the Bleau brothers who organize mountaineering expeditions, in partnership with Greenpeace.