Greenpeace activists used a laser projector to create a call to
action near from President Obama's hotel: "Leaders Act! Save
Climate!" Greenpeace demands that Presidents' Medvedev and Obama
take personal responsibility for averting catastrophic climate
change and commit to personally attend the Copenhagen Climate
Summit in December. The ongoing negotiations to get a good deal for
the climate at the UN talks in December demands their personal
attention to develop new climate agreement which guarantees the
prevention social and environmental catastrophes.
To stop catastrophic climate change, developed countries must
reduce their greenhouse gas emissions BY 40% BY 2020 COMPARED TO
1990 LEVELS AND GET THEM DOWN TO ZERY BY 2050.
Both Russian and the United States plans to reduce emissions are
far from what is required to solve the problem. Currently
Washington plans cuts by 2020 amounting to only 14% of their
current level. In Russia, by contrast, over the same period the
volume of greenhouse emissions would increase by 36% from their
current level.
"Greenpeace welcomes any progress during the US-Russia meeting
on nuclear disarmament. But, the planet faces a new human made
threat - climate change. We must both end the threat of a nuclear
winter and avert the threat of catastrophic global warming," said
Vladimir Chuprov Energy Unit Head of Greenpeace Russia.
Civilization has given mankind not only benefits but also put
the planet on brink of ecological disaster. As a result release of
hundreds of billions of tons of carbon dioxide TO THE ATMOSPHERE
OVER THE PAST TWO AND A HALF CENTURIES, THE average temperature on
Earth HAS INCREASED by almost 1 degree. As a result of these
changes THE DEVELOPING World already FACES enormous economic
losses. WITHOUTH DRASTIC MEASURES THAT LIMIT WARMING BELOW 2
degrees, the losses COULD be comparable to the losses during the
world wars.
"The clean energy technologies to replace fossil fuel use
already exist and the world has enough financial resources to
switch to these technologies," said Vladimir Chuprov. "The main
block is the political will: politicians are not ready to change
relationships in business and society formed IN THE last
CENTURIES."
"At their first meeting in April 2009 Presidents of Russia and
US agreed to open new page in the relationship between the two
countries. Tackling climate change must be on that page," added
Vladimir Chuprov.
Contact: Vera Bakasheva - +7-495-9887460, Vladimir Chuprov -
+7-903-1294651
News Editor
As part of a Copenhagen agreement Greenpeace is calling for:
. Global emissions to peak by 2015 and decline rapidly
thereafter reaching as close to zero as possible by mid-century .
Developed countries, as a group, to reduce emissions by at least
40% by 2020 (compared to 1990 levels). At least three quarters of
these reductions must be achieved domestically.
. Developing countries to reduce their projected emissions
growth by 15-30% by 2020, with support from industrialised
countries. The establishment of a funding mechanism to stop
deforestation and associated emissions in all developing countries
by 2020, with key areas (Amazon, Congo Basin and the Paradise
Forests in Indonesia and Papua New Guinea) achieving zero
deforestation by 2015.
According Greenpeace alternative energy scenario Russia could
reduce greenhouse emissions in energy, transport and industry by
37% by 2020, COMPARED T0 1990 LEVELS. To do this the state needs to
implement the plans of the Russian President to reduce the energy
intensity of economy by 40%.