NACC

Workers

Water

Energy

Security & civil liberties

Military

Safety & regulations

Transportation corridors

SPP resources

• Deep Integration Timeline
• Backgrounders
• Multimedia
• Media
• Logos
• Facebook

SPP Summit - New Orleans
April 21-22, 2008

• Summit highlights
• Photo gallery
• Media

SPP Summit - Montebello
August 19-21, 2007

• Summit highlights
• Photo gallery
• Highlights from public forum

Teach-in
March 31 to April 1, 2007

• Teach-in resources
• Final teach-in report
• Photo gallery

Greenpeace challenges the leadership of the North American governments : Real Leaders Back Clean Energy

August 9, 2009
Greenpeace

Summit of leaders of North America

Guadalajara, Jal.- To demand that the heads of state of Canada, Stephen Harper; the United States, Barack Obama, and Mexico, Felipe Calderon, immediately reduce their dependence on fossil fuels and start an energy [R]evolution, this Saturday, Greenpeace activists climbed the Minerva Monument and put a banner that read “Real Leaders Back Clean Energy”.

In the middle of a great security system implemented before the beginning of the Summit of leaders of North America, Greenpeace deployed this message in one of the most symbolic sites in the city, requiring the decision makers in the area to work for energy integration and reduce greenhouse gas emissions to the atmosphere – cause of the climate change - and honor the promises made in their speeches.

North America is currently a major contributor to climate change. It is already accountable for 26 per cent of greenhouse gas emissions worldwide and this percentage will keep on growing for as long as these countries continue to invest in dirty alternatives to produce energy: carbon-free coal in the United States; bituminous sands (1) in Canada; oil, carbon and gas in Mexico.

“In this scenario, it will be impossible to maintain temperature increase under 2 degrees Celsius, the limit set forth by scientists to avoid the disastrous and irreversible impacts of climate change. To really secure energy in North America, Canada, the United States and Mexico must stop committing to generate energy by means of bituminous sands, carbon sequestration or fossil fuels. We require a transition to truly clean energies such as renewable energy,”warned Virginie Lambert, coordinator of the climate and energy campaigns of Greenpeace Canada.

According to Greenpeace, the three countries could jointly produce almost 40% of the power required from renewable energy by year 2020, as compared to current patterns based mainly in fossil fuels.

“This is not about clean energy versus dirty energy only, it is about securing energy and green jobs versus an ecological and social collapse. The quickest and most effective way to solve most of the issues that the heads of state have come to discuss, e.g. economic challenges, health, energy and climate change, is straightforward: they must start a revolution in the ways of producing, distributing and consuming energy, and they must do it together. And only if they do may they be called leaders. Right now, real leaders are those who take steps to revert and mitigate climate change. Are the politicians in the area equal to the challenge? Asked Maria Jose Cardenas, Greenpeace Mexico’s climate and energy campaign coordinator.

For the North American Summit, Greenpeace demands that the rulers of Canada, the United States and Mexico:

• commit to maintain temperature increase as far under the 2° Celsius limit as possible, as compared to 1990 levels, in order to avoid a climate change catastrophe.
• make sure that global emissions reach their peak in 2015 and then drop almost to zero by 2050.
• the United States, Canada and the rest of industrialized countries must commit to attain a 40% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2020 (as compared to 1990 levels).
• the United States and Canada must lead the developed world into investing 140 thousand million Dollars a year for the developing countries to implement solutions to adapt, mitigate and protect forests and rain forests.
• an immediate commitment to devise a financial program aimed at stop deforestation in developing countries by 2020 and reach zero deforestation in the Amazon, Congo Basin and Indonesia by 2015.

Note:

1. Bituminous sands or oil sands: Canada produces a little over one million barrels of these sands a day, out of which 80 per cent is exported to the United States. These sands are extracted mainly in the Province of Alberta, Canada, and transferred to US refineries to be used as fuel. The process uses tremendous amounts of water and energy and produces a great amount of greenhouse gases such as sulfur dioxide, nitrous oxides, carbon dioxide, and more.

*For more information: Angelica Simon: 04455 40 84 53 26/ 044 55 34 31 35 44 email: angelica.simon@greenpeace.org or visit www.greenpeace.org.mx.*