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MEDIA ADVISORY:    PHOTO OPPORTUNITY

CUSTOM HOUSE QUAY   7:30 P.M.  FRIDAY 13TH.JULY
 

IRISH CLIMATE GROUPS KEEPING THEIR EMISSIONS DOWN ON ROUTE TO CLIMATE TALKS IN BONN.

Two Irish environmental groups--GRIAN (1) and Gluaiseacht (2)---leaving Dublin this evening to travel overland to the climate conference in Bonn next week are keeping their own fossil-fuel emissions down to a minimum by opting to go overland as opposed to flying (3)

The 6th Conference of the Parties (COP6) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change resumes next Monday in the Maritime Hotel in Bonn.

The talks are a resumption of the agenda that failed to complete its business in the Hague last autumn.

One of the ironies of the international response to climate change is the immense amount of travel-related fossil-fuel emissions caused by over 6,000 delegates jetting into the climate conferences from the four corners of the world.

While many representatives of both State Parties and their respective NGO’s obviously have no other option than to fly, those located near to the venue have no such excuse.  This is particularly the case when the conference is being hosted in Europe, as is happening next week, as well as last year.

The GRIAN / Gluaiseacht team for Bonn (4, 5, 6) will be hitch-hiking on one of the Irish buses heading for the G8 summit (taking place in Genoa at the same time as the climate talks in Bonn), as far as Calais, and will then continue by train to Bonn.
 

(1) GRIAN   (www.grian.net) is an Irish-based not-for profit organisation working for education and awareness on climate change and particularly on climate problem-solving.

(2) Gluaiseacht (www.gluaiseacht.org) is an Irish-based not-for profit organisation working on social justice issues and problems, including those associated with climate change.

(3) Aircraft emissions are a major cause of climate change.  Energy demand per passenger-kilometre travelled by air is 600% higher than that required for travel by rail and 300% higher than for travel by bus.  (Source:  UNEP, INRETS, December 2000)

(4) Pat Finnegan (co-ordinator of GRIAN) has over 25 years of environmental campaigning behind him, and has been specialising in climate issues for most of that time.

(5) Br. Anthony Keane (Gluaiseacht) is a monk from Glenstal who has been specialising in environmental and social justice issues for over 20 years.  He was involved in establishing Gluaiseacht as a result of travelling to the Dike protest at the climate talks in the Hague last year.

(6) David Healy is a member of both GRIAN and Gluaiseacht.  He is an environmental scientist and consultant who has been involved in environmental advocacy for over 15 years.

GRIAN and Gluaiseacht will be inside the Conference from start to finish, and will be available for informed comment, interviews, etc. throughout.

We hope to have daily reports posted to GRIAN’s website (www.grian.net), cerainly until the high-level segment ends, either on Sunday 22nd. or Monday 23rd. July.

We will advise of new contact numbers once we get there, both to our medialist, and by posting them onto the website.

       WORKING FOR TOMORROW, TODAY