Early Tuesday morning, after hundreds of thousands of people took to the streets of New York to demand climate action over the weekend, Greenpeace projected the message “Listen to the People, Not the Polluters” on the side of the United Nations building. The projection was then translated into nine different languages: English, Chinese, French, Spanish, Russian, German, Portuguese, Hindi and Arabic. The images will be shared with communities around the world who also held rallies, marches, and protests drawing attention to the climate crisis.
Greenpeace International Director Kumi Naidoo said:
“The massive public outcry over the weekend from around the world, including the biggest climate march in US history, shows that the people are standing up to polluters.
Given the dramatic speed of ice melting in the Arctic and the humanitarian tragedies in Pakistan, India and elsewhere caused by global warming, world leaders need to take bold actions now. Dirty energy got us into this mess and it wont get us out. Governments need to stop investment of taxpayers money into coal, oil and nuclear power.
Kumi Naidoo added, Were expecting this summit to bring the opportunity for leaders from around the world to take bold, ambitious actions and set the stage for an effective agreement in Paris in 2015. Were also expecting real, groundbreaking movement from business leaders who are moving ahead of governments with ambitious goals of their own.
Exceptional times require leadership. We are seeing that from people around the world who refuse to accept any new coal mine, oil pipeline or dirty power plant in their communities. We are seeing that in the businesses, local governments and households who are abandoning dirty energy and switching completely to renewables. But we are not seeing enough of that from world leaders. They must do better, and they can.
Renewable energy has made an incredible breakthrough around the world, in a short period of time. It is affordable, abundant, clean and safe. It can provide all the energy we need worldwide. But for that to happen, leaders must have the courage to get rid of the old.
Greenpeace is asking for the following commitments from UN member states (complete demands and timetables are available in this briefing):
Countries must support a long term global goal of a just transition to 100% renewable energy by mid century while phasing out fossil fuels, especially coal; and ending our reliance on nuclear power.
Countries with the capacity must collectively pledge $15 billion USD by 2015 in total to the Green Climate Fund and propose pathways how to fulfill their commitment to increase this amount to $100 billion by 2020.The United States must do much more domestically to decrease emissions from coal-fired power plants. Greenpeaces Energy Revolution scenario shows emissions reductions could be four times greater than the current EPA proposal.
China should announce a strong commitment to further steer its energy mix away from coal; elaborate on the contours of Chinas post-2020 climate package and set an ambitious peak emissions target much earlier than 2030.
