MEDIA ADVISORY

Friends of the Earth International

Advance: Saturday 11 November 2006

GLOBAL ACTION ON CLIMATE CHANGE

NAIROBI (KENYA) — Thousands of people are expected to join a march in Nairobi, Kenya, on Saturday 11 November as part of a global call for action on climate change.

The march takes place as government ministers from around the world arrive in Nairobi for the crucial final week of the UN climate talks, aimed at reaching an international agreement on future cuts in climate change-causing gases like carbon dioxide.

The event follows major events in Europe, Asia, Africa and the Americas, including a demonstration and rally in London which attracted more than 25,000 people, and thousands of people at Walks against Warming across Australia, Other events included a demonstration and “lights out” action in the United States and rallies in Bangladesh, South Africa, Taiwan and Brazil.

Friends of the Earth International, in Nairobi to take part in the talks, will be joining the march with representatives from around the world calling for tough action to tackle climate change.

Friends of the Earth International Climate Campaigner Catherine Pearce said:

“All around the world people have taken to the streets to demanding action to tackle climate change. These talks here in Nairobi represent a real opportunity for governments to make real progress on an international agreement. Global action is essential if we are to tackle this global problem. Ministers must respond to the urgency of the cause.”

Friends of the Earth International is calling on governments to define a clear work programme for the post 2012 negotiations while in Nairobi, following the progress made at UN talks in Montreal last year.

Countries are committed, under the terms of the Kyoto Protocol, to carry out a rigorous review of the Kyoto Protocol – and this process should begin in Nairobi. On-going negotiations must also take place on the future action of industrialised countries, as set out in article 3.9 of the Kyoto Protocol. These negotiations should be given a clear end date of 2008.

Additional agreements are also urgently required to resolve arrangements for the Adaptation Fund which finances projects on the ground in developing countries to help manage the impacts of climate change. In addition, governments of rich countries must increase funding for adaptation in less developed countries.

FOR MORE INFORMATION:

Catherine Pearce, Friends of the Earth International climate campaigner, Tel: + 44 7811 283 641 (UK mobile) or +254 (0)720 828 889 (Kenya mobile)

Friends of the Earth Ghana Climate Campaigner, Erasmus Aborley Tel: +254 (0)720 827 588 (Kenya mobile)

Friends of the Earth International media line: +31-6-51005630 (Dutch mobile, Nov.12-18 only)

NOTES:

Background about the march http://www.globalclimatecampaign.org/ Background about the UN Climate Talks see http://www.foei.org/media/2006/1031.html