Media release - May 15, 2001
Greenpeace Executive Director John Passacantando will personally deliver a plane ticket for the global warming talks in Bonn next month to Governor Gray Davis on Monday, June 25. Passacantando will be accompanied by three Greenpeace protesters bearing signs that say, "Clean Energy Now!" an oversized boarding pass, and carry-on luggage tagged "Bonn or Bust."
"Greenpeace urges Davis to recognize that the sure-fire fix for
the state's energy crisis is also the best way to reduce global
warming emissions: invest in clean, renewable sources of energy
like solar and wind power," said Passacantando. "It's time for
Davis to demonstrate leadership and go where no Bush has gone
before. Booking the governor a flight to Bonn was the least we
could do."
California is the fifth largest economy in the world, but its
success has exacted a heavy environmental and public health toll.
If the Golden State were a country, it would be the sixth largest
contributor to global warming pollution - right behind India, a
nation of a billion people, and ahead of Germany, an industrial
country nearly twice its size, according to government sources.
"California's high rank as a major polluter earns Davis a role
in the global warming talks in July. Thanks to Bush's rejection of
the Kyoto Protocol, the U.S. is an international pariah right now.
Davis can help reverse this trend by proposing clean energy now to
curb global warming, save consumers money and create jobs," said
Danny Kennedy, California Energy Campaigner for Greenpeace.
Greenpeace will launch an initiative
with the state's leading public interest organizations later this
week as part of an aggressive, new statewide campaign, Clean Energy
Now. The campaign will push for sustainable solutions to the energy
crisis and the global warming threat. Greenpeace staged multiple
protests against Bush during the President's recent tour of Europe,
including blocking the gate at the airport in Brussels after Bush
landed, and occupying and intercepting oil tankers in Norway,
France, and Sweden. Actions will continue globally for the next
month.