Vote Earth to influence climate change negotiations

The World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) is calling on individuals, businesses and community groups to Vote Earth ahead of the UN Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen. The Vote Earth Campaign is about urging world leaders to deliver a new climate deal which is fair and effective in keeping global warming as far below 2 degrees as possible.

“WWF is calling on South Africans to join the global community in Voting Earth by visiting www.wwf.org.za and committing to take steps to reduce their own environmental impact,” explains WWF South Africa’s CEO, Dr Morné du Plessis.

“These ‘votes’ will be delivered to world leaders in December when they gather in Copenhagen to decide how the global community deals with climate change.”

“We simply cannot do too much to impress the gravity of the situation of global warming upon our leaders and our peers,” says Du Plessis.

The Vote Earth campaign, which is supported by Nedbank, calls on citizens to make changes in their own lives that will contribute towards a collective effort to reduce climate change and influence the outcomes of the meeting in Copenhagen.

“We are on the cusp of one of the most significant moments of our time,” says WWF Climate Champion, Valli Moosa, “The outcome of these negotiations will have a profound impact on the way countries around the world collectively tackle the all important issue of climate change.”

The Vote Earth Campaign follows on from WWF’s award winning Earth Hour campaign which aimed to raise international awareness on climate change.

The final round of negotiations ahead of the United Nations Climate Summit came to a close this week in Barcelona.

About Vote Earth:

The Vote Earth campaign builds on the call for action on climate change provided by millions of people, companies and communities during Earth Hour in March this year. The campaign provides a platform for the people of the world to deliver world leaders a mandate for the right decision to be made at the United Nations Climate Summit in Copenhagen in December 2009.  Find out more about the campaign at www.wwf.org.za Vote Earth is a WWF initiative, proudly supported by Nedbank.

Notes:

To view a 7-minute video of WWF Climate Champions Valli Moosa, Tom Boardman and Dr Mamphela Ramphele please visit: http://www.wwf.org.za/?section=Fun_Downloads
This clip is available in broadcast quality, for more information please contact Carolyn Cramer ( This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it )

About WWF:

WWF is one of the world's largest and most respected independent conservation organizations, with almost 5 million supporters and a global network active in over 100 countries.  WWF's mission is to stop the degradation of the earth's natural environment and to build a future in which humans live in harmony with nature, by conserving the world's biological diversity, ensuring that the use of renewable natural resources is sustainable, and promoting the reduction of pollution and wasteful consumption.

Click on this link to follow WWF South Africa on Twitter: http://twitter.com/WWFSouthAfrica

For more information:

Joshua Cox
Communications Coordinator: Living Planet Unit
WWF South Africa
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+27 21 888 2897

Issued by
William Smook
Meropa Communications
+27 21 683-6464
+27 83-357-2837
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