DEATH BY GAS: WAKE-UP CALL ON GLOBAL WARMING

Auckland, 20 November 1997

Early morning Auckland commuters came eye-to-eye with a striking image of a condemned man in a gas chamber on their way into work today.

At 8.00am this morning Greenpeace unveiled a dramatic 6m by 3m billboard on one of the busiest roads in Auckland - on the corner of Khyber Pass and Boston Road. It read "Death by Gas: Global Warming, Global Gas Chamber. Call 0800 22 33 44 For an Escape Plan."

At the same time a group of Greenpeace activists dressed in black clothing and gas masks stood amongst the fumes of the rush hour traffic to highlight the dangers.

"The objective of this advertising campaign is to alert individuals to the horror of global warming and to say we all have the power to change. In other words, we have a choice; the solution is in our hands," said Adam Laidlaw, Greenpeace's climate campaigner.

In 10 days, 160 nations will meet at the third Climate Summit in Kyoto, Japan, to decide legally binding targets and measures to reduce greenhouse gases and avert dangerous climate change. New Zealand has not put forward a reduction target.

"Global warming is happening now. Greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide are literally creating a Global Gas Chamber and scientists predict that it is going to get worse over the next millenium," said Laidlaw. "We want the New Zealand public to understand that it does not have to be this way."

The billboard * is part of an ongoing public campaign to alert New Zealanders to the real and present dangers of global warming. It includes a phone number enabling people to directly respond to Greenpeace and find out more about the campaign.

"We can reduce the pace of global warming at no cost to the global economy by switching to clean energy solutions, such as wind and solar power, and employing energy efficiency measures instead of burning coal, gas and oil," said Laidlaw

FOR MORE INFORMATION PLEASE CONTACT:

Di Paton, Executive Director on 09 630 6317

Adam Laidlaw, Climate Campaigner on 09 630 6317 or 025 931 363

Note to Editors:

Climate scientists predict a global average temperature rise of 2 degree Celsius by 2100 could result in almost a 1 metre sea-level rise. Global warming would also see an increased frequency of extreme weather like El Ninos, storms, flooding and droughts that are already threatening the survival and security of low-lying islands like Tuvalu, Kiribati and the Cook Islands.

Greenpeace agrees with the Association of Small Island States position that countries should cut carbon dioxide emissions to 20% below 1990 levels (-20%) by 2005. The EU propose -7.5% by 2005 and 15% by 2010; Japan, -5% by 2010 with many loopholes; and the US, stabilisation at 1990 levels by between 2008 and 2012.