Press release - August 26, 2009
Over 100,000 New Zealanders have joined the Greenpeace Sign On campaign, which aims to generate an unprecedented level of support for John Key to sign on to a 40 per cent by 2020 emission reduction target at the UN climate talks in Copenhagen in December.
"Copenhagen is the most important meeting of our time, so it's
really heartening to see how many Kiwis want New Zealand to do the
right thing," said Greenpeace Executive Director Bunny
McDiarmid.
"100,000 Kiwis have already signed on to 40% by 2020 and John
Key needs to listen. A government belongs to its people not the
other way round," said Sign On Ambassador Lucy Lawless. "The
scientists say an emissions reduction target of 40% by 2020 is
needed. Anything else is flim flam"."
The Sign On campaign was launched three months ago at Sign On
Ambassador Lucy Lawless' house. See here for a video of the launch:
http://www.signon.org.nz/videos/sign-on-videos.
Lawless is one of a wide range of high-profile New Zealanders
backing the campaign. Others include Jim Salinger, Francesca Price,
Robyn Malcolm, Rhys Darby and actress Keisha Castle-Hughes who last
week launched the new icon of the Sign On campaign: a blue
cast.
McDiarmid said she hoped the Government would take the growing
public mandate created by the Sign On campaign into account and
re-evaluate the recently announced 10-20% 2020 target. "Sign On
will now focus squarely on the Prime Minister as the one person who
can ensure New Zealand does the right thing at Copenhagen when it
comes to climate change."
Other contacts: Suzette Jackson Communications Manager 021 614 899
Bunny McDiarmid Executive Director 021 838 183