The world said yes to climate action, now governments must follow

Bonn, Germany - From Shanghai to Stockholm, Sydney to Rio de Janeiro, hundreds of millions of people joined WWF’s Earth Hour and turned off their lights for a whole hour to vote for our planet and against destructive climate change. Their vote is a demand for the world’s leaders to take action.

Marking the opening of the UN climate talks in Bonn today WWF and a group of German Scouts will deliver the message of the symbolic vote in form of a ballot box from millions of citizens across the world to Yvo de Boer, Executive Secretary of UN’s Climate Change treaty (UNFCCC), and the government delegates attending the negotiations.

Earth Hour, which took place in nearly 2500 cities and towns, is the world’s first ever global vote about the future of our planet.

“Citizens worldwide have voted with their light switch – now it’s high time for governments to show leadership and Vote Earth, by working towards a just, effective, and science-based climate treaty,” said Kim Carstensen, Leader of WWF’s Global Climate Initiative. “Last night’s message from the masses was loud and clear: Delay no more, real action now!”

The Bonn conference is the first of a series of inter-sessional meetings this year to start laying out an ambitious draft of the new global climate treaty before the Deal Day at the Copenhagen conference in December. It is also the first meeting since the change of power in the United States.

“Signing a new global climate treaty in Copenhagen depends on having a comprehensive draft by June. In Bonn, delegates must show their cards and work towards consensus where it’s still lacking,” said Carstensen.

“People expect the world leaders to come up with solutions. They need to embrace a low carbon economy to combat global warming,” said Carstensen. “Any economic recovery package must serve to support livelihoods while at the same time sustaining the natural basis of the planet; it’s the only logical way forward.”

In Bonn leaders must overcome the stalemate slowing down talks previously and join hands to make use of the opportunities that tackling the climate challenge can offer. They must narrow down the number of options for adaptation, emissions reductions, the role of forests, finance, and technology, and outline the architecture of the new climate treaty.

“Industrialized countries must restore trust in their will to tackle climate change by agreeing to cut emissions at least 40% by 2020 as a group,” said Carstensen.

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MEDIA TEAM:
Christian Teriete, E: cteriete@wwf.org.hk, Ph: +852-93106805; Ashwini Prabha, E: aprabha@wwfint.org, Ph: +41-79-8741682; Natalia Reiter, E: nreiter@wwfint.org, Ph: +41 798738099

WWF CLIMATE CHANGE AND POLICY EXPERTS:
Kim Carstensen, Leader of WWF Global Climate Initiative, E: k.carstensen@wwf.dk , Ph: +45 35 24 78 60, Mob: +45 40 34 36 35; Kathrin Gutmann, Head of Policy, WWF Global Climate Initiative, E: kathrin.gutmann@wwf.de , Mob: +49 162 29 144 28; Gordon Shepherd, Director Global and Regional Policy, WWF International, E: gshepherd@wwfint.org , Ph: +41 22 364 9501

MATERIALS FOR THE MEDIA:

• Press Pack - All related backgrounders, press work, reports and other material will be posted here.
• Copenhagen Expectations Paper – WWF position paper outlining key issues for new global deal
• Blogs: Journalists interested in exclusive real-time WWF updates from the negotiations in Bonn are invited to the new WWF text and video blog at: www.panda.org

WWF MEDIA EVENTS/ACTIVITIES:
Saturday March 28th
• WWF Earth Hour reception at the Maritim Hotel in Bonn to mark the global vote on climate change and celebrate switch off actions taking place around the world

Sunday March 29th
• Opening press release
• Photo opportunity where Scouts from World Organization of the Scout Movement deliver the ‘Earth Hour’ Votes’ to Executive Secretary Yvo de Boer

Monday March 30th
• Press release on Earth Hour and global demand for action on climate change
• WWF press briefing on Technology Action Programmes and the economic and environmental potential of innovations in North-South cooperation on technology (11:30 am)

Thursday April 2nd
• WWF spokes people in Bonn will be ready to comment on the G20 in London

Monday April 6th
• Press releases linking Arctic/Antarctic Summit in Washington DC and the UN talks in Bonn
Wednesday 8th or Thursday 9th April
• Closing Statement