Earth Day Sparks Activities Worldwide

ARCHIVED 2002–2016: Originally distributed via the eWire press wire service. Preserved as historical record.

SUBSCRIBE/UNSUBSCRIBE |

Conservation & Wildlife

Corporate Responsibility

Science & Technology

Syndication Partners

**************************************************************************

E-WIRE PRESS RELEASE E-WIRE PRESS RELEASE E-WIRE PRESS RELEASE

**************************************************************************

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

Earth Day Sparks Activities Worldwide

Earth Day 2001 Is a Rallying Cry for Clean Energy

SEATTLE, WASHINGTON, Apr. 18 -/E-Wire/-- Alarm and calls to action characterize the response of citizen groups working to protect the environment, following recent policy shifts by the Bush administration.

The administration has withdrawn from international climate treaty negotiations, killed regulations limiting arsenic in drinking water, and broken a campaign promise to regulate heat-trapping carbon dioxide. At the same time, proposals are in the works to cut the renewable energy budget in half, scale back funding for energy efficiency, build more nuclear power plants, drill for oil in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, and eliminate citizens' ability to enforce the Endangered Species Act.

On April 22, Earth Day 2001, people around the world will join in a call for a rapid transition to energy efficiency and clean, renewable energy.

"Sitting back and waiting for the political winds to change is a risky gamble with unacceptably high stakes. For Earth Day, people are taking the future of the Earth into their own hands," said Jan Thomas, U.S. Program Director of Earth Day Network. "Through educational fairs, protests, concerts fueled by solar power, alternative vehicle displays and other activities, citizens will send a powerful message that they will not tolerate governments' inaction and backsliding on global warming and environmental protection."

The wasteful use of outdated energy sources causes climate change, oil spills, nuclear waste, air pollution, and other serious environmental problems. By using fossil fuels to produce energy, humans are releasing over six billion tons of heat-trapping gases each year, upsetting the natural balance that has maintained climate stability. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change's recently released report finds that humans have "contributed substantially" to the warming we are seeing. The IPCC predicts that by 2100, the average global temperature could rise as much as 10.4 degrees Fahrenheit. Not one credible scientific organization questions the reality of global warming.

"The technology already exists to produce energy from the sun, wind and other clean, renewable energy sources, as well as to use energy far more efficiently," said Denis Hayes, Chair of Earth Network. "Slashing funding for energy efficiency and renewable energy -- at a time when concerns about global warming are rising and supply problems and price hikes are spawning fears of an 'energy crisis' -- is poor public policy and a lost opportunity. Instead, we need to increase our investment in the energy sources that will power our future and preserve a livable planet."

Energy efficiency saves money, reduces pollution, and conserves resources. "Europe and Japan use about half as much energy per unit of Gross Domestic Product as the United States, yet still live as comfortably and productively as Americans," said Hayes. "By converting to available energy-efficient technologies, the U.S. could cut its carbon dioxide emissions by 50%."

"We are working for changes in personal behavior and public policy that will spark a transition to clean energy," explains Thomas. "Ultimately, it is awareness and worldwide citizen action that will compel politicians to take global warming seriously."

Earth Day Network (EDN) currently includes more than 5,000 groups in 184 countries. Its mission is to achieve a healthy and sustainable world by linking groups worldwide and providing them with the information and resources to combat environmental destruction.

EDN is chaired by Denis Hayes, the national coordinator of the first Earth Day in 1970 - an event often credited with starting the modern environmental movement. Hayes was also chair of the first international Earth Day celebration in 1990, and of the 30th anniversary of Earth Day in 2000. Former Senator Gaylord Nelson, the founder of Earth Day, is EDN's Honorary Chair.

For more information about Earth Day Network's Clean Energy Campaign and Earth Day events planned in the U.S. and around the world, visit www.earthday.net

Evelyn Guerra, Earth Day Network, Phone: +1 (206) 876-2000 ext. 213, Email: [REDACTED-EMAIL]

http://www.earthday.net

**************************************************************************

To Transmit Your News Over E-Wire, visit http://www.ewire.com or

call 1-[REDACTED-PHONE]. E-Wire Is Broadcast To Millions Of Readers Worldwide

**************************************************************************