CLIMATE REALITY PROJECT LAUNCHES GLOBAL CAMPAIGN TO CALL FOR A STRONG EMISSIONS REDUCTIONS AGREEMENT IN PARIS
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Boulder, CO (April 16, 2015) – The Climate Reality Project announced its Road to Paris effort today, a major international campaign that will bring together citizens, business leaders, non-profit organizations, and NGOs to galvanize climate action and encourage countries at December’s United Nations’ Framework Convention on Climate Change’s 21st Conference of the Parties in Paris to sign a strong emissions reductions agreement. This would include meaningful emissions reductions commitments based on national circumstances, a system of periodic review for these commitments, and a long-term goal of net zero carbon emissions.
Road to Paris will focus on mobilizing public support from the global community and citizens in eight countries that hold strategic significance for the upcoming negotiations, as a building block for a strong international agreement. Target countries include Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, India, Philippines, South Africa, and the United States. Climate Reality will also have a programmatic presence in Mexico and Europe.
“The UN climate negotiations in December mark a crucial opportunity for the international community to come to a bold, universal agreement to make significant emissions reductions commitments, including a long term goal for zero net carbon emissions,” said former United States Vice President Al Gore, chairman of Climate Reality. “But the Road to Paris will not end at COP21, and we cannot afford to gamble with the future of our planet. Solutions to the climate crisis are within reach, but in order to capture them, we must take urgent action today across every level of society. Now is the time for people all over the world to lend their voices to the cause and urge their leaders to take this historic first step.”
Climate Reality’s Road to Paris campaign will build on work the group has already undertaken in each key country, including training new members of the Climate Reality Leadership Corps and organizing support on the ground through local branches. Local Climate Reality Leaders will run programs to address the unique challenges and opportunities of each target country. With the support of Climate Reality headquarters and in coordination with other environmental groups, each branch will employ social/digital and earned media tactics to educate and mobilize communities, hold events, and offer practical suggestions for grassroots actions people can take to support and strengthen the commitments of their national governments. Climate Reality’s partnership with Live Earth: Road to Paris will also play a significant role in the campaign and serve as a rallying point for in-country programs.
“This year stands to be a critical turning point where the world comes together to address climate change,” said Climate Reality President and CEO Ken Berlin. “As a leading international climate organization with nearly 5,700 trained Climate Reality Leaders in these eight countries alone, it is our responsibility to do everything we can to help spur action around the globe, providing support and guidance to the most critical players on the road to Paris.”
Climate Reality will roll out individual country programs locally over the coming weeks. Specific actions in each country will depend on the local political, economic, and social landscape, and will take into account the country’s climate change risk profile and opportunities for implementing solutions. Individual country programs will also factor in what commitments a country has already made toward the UN process; Climate Reality will urge some countries to make strong pledges while holding others to the commitments they have already announced.
In the United States, Climate Reality will continue its People vs. Carbon campaign in support of the Environmental Protection Agency’s Clean Power Plan. There are also two Climate Reality Leadership Corps trainings being held in the United States in 2015 – in Iowa and Florida.
About The Climate Reality Project
The Climate Reality Project is one of the world’s leading organizations dedicated to mobilizing action around climate change. With a global movement more than 5 million strong and a grassroots network of trained Climate Reality Leaders, we are spreading the truth and using cultural momentum to solve the climate crisis. Former US Vice President and Nobel Laureate Al Gore is the Founder and Chairman of The Climate Reality Project. For more information, visit www.climaterealityproject.org or follow us on Twitter at @ClimateReality.