Groups launch KYOTOplus campaign against climate change

Three federal parties participate but Prime Minister Harper and Environment Minister John Baird decline

Ottawa (2 April 2008) - Environmental and public interest organizations have launched KYOTOplus, a national petition against global warming.

Opposition party leaders Stéphane Dion, Gilles Duceppe and Jack Layton joined in a formal signing ceremony today on Parliament Hill. Prime Minister Harper and Environment Minister John Baird were also invited but declined to participate.

The National Union of Public and General Employees (NUPGE), a member of the Climate Action Network, endorses KYOTOplus and urges its 340,000 members to sign the petition and to lobby federal, provincial and municipal representatives.

The pledge calls on elected Canadian politicians to “work to ensure that Canada honours its Kyoto commitment and sets a national target of cutting its greenhouse gas emissions by at least 25%, relative to the 1990 level, by 2020.”

It is widely accepted that to prevent catastrophically dangerous climate change, the global average temperature increase above pre-industrial levels must be kept as far below a two-degrees Celsius increase as possible. This will require a 25-to-40% reduction of greenhouse gas emissions (from 1990 levels) by the world’s developed countries by 2020.

“We have only two years to negotiate an agreement to avert a global catastrophe. We can’t leave it up to the government any longer. Canadians want to be leaders not laggards,” said Arthur Sandborn of Greenpeace Canada.

“KYOTOplus is a historic opportunity for Canadians and their leaders to pledge their support for deep reductions in greenhouse gas emissions,” said John Bennett of ClimateforChange.ca.

"Canadians want their country to do its fair share in the global struggle to avoid catastrophic levels of global warming. KYOTOplus gives them the opportunity to mobilize and pressure their government to finally do the right thing and protect our climate,” said Emilie Moorhouse of Sierra Club Canada.

The KYOTOplus campaign calls for action on Canada’s Kyoto commitment and support for crucial UN negotiations on a post-Kyoto agreement that will conclude in Copenhagen, Denmark, in December 2009. The KYOTOplus campaign will engage citizens, politicians and civic leaders in all provinces, territories, towns and cities to support the Kyoto process and put an end to global warming. NUPGE