Earth Summit 2002 - Greenpeace

Stralsund, Germany, 1 August 2002: It’s the content that matters, said twelve young people with Green-peace in Stralsund when they presented the German Chancellor Gerhard Schröder with his suitcase for the upcoming World Summit in Johannesburg.

On the suitcase, it says “Weltgipfel Johannesburg: Kanzler, gib dein Bestes!“ - Chancellor, do your best at the World Summit. Among the con-tents is a steering wheel, the message being that the young people are calling on the govern-ment to take the wheel at the Earth Summit. To prevent empty promises the young people have packed other useful items for the journey, such as “anti climate-killer” syrup and a bedtime story about ancient forests.

“We expect Gerhard Schröder to turn things round in Johannesburg,” says 16 year-old Justin Rollin from Schwerin in Stralsund, “and see that we will live in a more peaceful, fair and healthy world in future.”

Talking to the Chancellor, the young people expressed their concern about climate change and the destruction of ancient forests. They gave clear proof that the activities for protecting the natural bases of life decided on in 1992 at the first Earth Summit in Rio have failed. Discharges of the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide have risen by nine percent – despite a world climate convention having been agreed. For ancient forests too, the treasure chamber of biodiversity and home to thousands of people, the situation has become dramatically worse in the last ten years. Each year 15 million hectares of ancient forest, an area almost half the size of Germany, are lost irrevocably.

The meeting with the Chancellor is part of a campaign by Greenpeace’s young people on the Earth Summit. Youth from ages 14 to 20 have been calling on not only the German government but also the biggest countries blocking the way to environ-mental protection - the USA, Canada and Australia - to take decisive political action for the benefit of the environment.

“Politicians have for ten years allowed business interests to decide the fate of the world,” says 18 year-old Annelie Kaufmann from Bremen on the spot in Stralsund. “Now they must at long last take on their responsibilities for the Earth’s future and generations to come. This World Summit must not be allowed to produce just fine words again.” The young people expect the second UN Earth Summit in Johannes-burg to set specific goals and time frames, and allocate funds, for solving global ecological and social problems.

Only by resolute policy-making in Johannesburg can a new direction in protecting the environ-ment and combating poverty be taken.

Editors please note

Please direct your enquiries to Stephanie Weigel, Greenpeace youth groups coordinator, tel. +49 0171-8780814, or Simone Miller, press officer, tel. +49 (0)40-30618343 / +49 0171-8706647. You can obtain photos from Stralsund by calling +49 (0)40-30618-376, and film footage from TNC in Hamburg, tel. +49 (0)40-42910110.