There's a new threat to progress on climate change -- and it could undermine all of the work we've done so far.
President Bush and his allies have recognized that the the movement against climate change is too powerful to be directly confronted. So Bush, Australia's John Howard, and a small group of other high-pollution governments are using back-channel pressure to build a bloc of countries--call it an "Axis of Global Warming"--that plans to sabotage the negotiations on a binding climate treaty. It's an extraordinary danger.
They must be stopped. And we've got a plan to do it. We're laying plans for a massive, country-by-country pressure campaign to block the Axis of Global Warming--and we need your help to make it work. A donor has pledged to match all contributions up to 100,000 Euros. Can you donate now to help save the planet?
https://secure.avaaz.org/en/axis_of_war ... l=15345316
There's strength in numbers--already this year, half a million of us have taken climate actions with Avaaz. We've run television ads, delivered massive petitions, marched in the streets and flooded governments with email messages. Now, if enough of us can contribute 50, 20 or even 1 Euro, we'll have the resources to take all of these tactics to a new level--and add some spectacular new ones.
Our strategy is simple: expose Bush's plan, and help citizens in "swing countries" like Japan and Canada to pressure their governments not to join the Axis of Global Warming. Bush can only succeed if he rallies enough governments to join his side. But if we show these governments that there's a price to be paid for abandoning the planet, people power can prevail.
The next five months are key. Here are the most critical moments:
September: Australia's John Howard hosts the Asia-Pacific APEC summit, gathering leaders of 21 countries including the US, China, Japan, Russia, and Canada. We need to shame the Axis of Global Warming, disrupt their alliance-building and persuade the swing voters to stay strong for a UN process--and we're working with Australian campaigners GetUp on a spectacular plan to spoil Bush and Howard's party in Sydney.
Then we'll burst into the UN Secretary-General's emergency session on climate change--100 heads of state invited, and your voice will be heard there too.
October/November: a "Major Emitters" conference of the biggest polluters, called by Bush after the G8 meeting in June. This is likely to be the public unveiling of Bush's plan. In the lead-up, we'll empower Avaaz members in each of our countries, pressing national leaders to commit publicly to a real deal--and reject Bush’s game.
December 3-14: UN-led negotiations begin in Bali, Indonesia for a global climate change treaty to succeed the Kyoto Protocol. This is the big one: the key to ending the climate crisis. We'll be there in force, virtually and for real. Every nation gets a voice in Bali--and because we have members in every nation, so do we. Avaaz will work outside and inside to influence the negotiations as they happen, day to day and hour by hour.
These are the moments that will define whether the climate crisis can be stopped -- and our ability to influence them together will be determined in part by our resources. For example, we need:
25,000 Euros to build tools enabling Avaaz members to directly contact their leaders--tools capable of sending millions of messages to hundreds of governments in a dozen languages, fast.
8,000 Euros to mount a major stunt at the Asia-Pacific summit in Sydney, grabbing the attention of leaders and the media
5,000 Euros each to buy full-page newspaper ads in key "swing voter" countries like Japan, Canada or China
Avaaz has a lot of members, but a small staff--currently just nine people, working from five cities on three continents. We're laser-focused on squeezing every bit of impact we can from every Euro or dollar we spend. This is a David and Goliath struggle, the people of the world versus the Axis of Global Warming--and we simply can't afford to lose. Can you help, by donating whatever you can?
https://secure.avaaz.org/en/axis_of_war ... l=15345316
Climate change is a threat that affects us all. But it's also an opportunity to build a different kind of world, where each of us recognizes our connections, and our responsibility to each other.
Imagine looking back, twenty years from now, and remembering how we won. Remembering the moment when citizens from every nation joined to save our planet and ourselves.
We can only make it happen together. We have from now until December. Give whatever you can.
With hope,
Ben, Ricken, Paul, Galit, Graziela, Milena, Pascal, Iain, Lee-Sean -- the entire Avaaz team
PS: Avaaz does not accept money from governments and corporations. Our campaigns are directed by and accountable to global public opinion -- that means you. If you have an idea about how we can make this campaign a success, get in touch.
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Avaaz.org is staffed by a global team of campaigners operating on 3 continents. We have administrative offices in London, New York, and Rio de Janeiro. Please direct mail to our NY office at 260 Fifth Avenue, 9th floor, New York, NY 10001 U.S.A.