Statement in Response to Greenpeace’s Mount Rushmore Action
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact:
David Hirsch, Program and Operations Director, 202-222-0741
Statement of Brent Blackwelder, President of Friends of the Earth, in Response to Greenpeace’s Mount Rushmore Action
Washington, D.C.— Friends of the Earth President Brent Blackwelder had the following statement in response to Greenpeace’s banner hanging action today at Mount Rushmore:
“Friends of the Earth salutes Greenpeace for its banner hanging action at Mount Rushmore today, calling attention to the lack of U.S. leadership on the global climate crisis. President Obama must exert greater leadership to show that the United States is ready to help bring the nations of the world together in tackling the global climate crisis. This leadership was missing last month when the House passed a very weak bill to deal with climate destabilization, a bill that undermines his authority to regulate coal power plants under the Clean Air Act.
“President Obama’s strong messages on the climate crisis give great hope to the world that the United States will no longer be the lone major nation denying the reality of its climate polluting emissions. However, the administration’s behavior at international talks does not match with the urgency of climate crisis. Friends of the Earth International member groups have reported that Obama’s negotiators at key preparatory meetings at the United Nations and at the Major Economies Forum are virtually indistinguishable from the Bush climate deniers that populated such meetings for the past 8 years: volunteering weak emissions reductions targets and reneging on responsibilities for providing climate finance to developing nations. It is not enough for Obama to say the problem is real; he must ensure that his U.S. negotiators push for meaningful results.”
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Friends of the Earth (www.foe.org) is the U.S. voice of the world’s largest grassroots environmental network, with member groups in 77 countries. Since 1969, Friends of the Earth has been at the forefront of high-profile efforts to create a more healthy, just world. One of its current campaigns focuses on combating the spread of nanotechnology without regulation and oversight.