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media release everyone - Scotland's environment groups campaigning together (500,000 supporters, 26 organisations, ONE voice) Scottish MPs must urgently tackle climate change Friday 6 May 2005
The fight against climate change must start now - say environment groupsScotland's newly elected MPs must immediately help drive forward action to tackle the threat of climate change, environment groups said today (Friday 6 May). The call for MPs to put climate change at the top of their agendas as soon as they get to Westminster came from organisations involved in Scottish Environment LINK's everyone campaign. [1]
The everyone campaign is an initiative from Scottish Environment LINK, the umbrella body for Scotland's environmental organisations. In the run up to the election the groups pressed all candidates to pledge, if elected, to deliver year-on-year cuts in climate emissions.
President of Scottish Environment LINK and spokesman for the everyone coalition, Fred Edwards, said:
"Scotland's new MPs must immediately get ready to face up to the threat posed to us all by climate change. Unfortunately, during the period of this election, the threat of climate change did not conveniently disappear. If anything, we actually saw the evidence for human-induced climate change increase.
"Whether a member of the governing party or not, it is imperative that all those elected take action to ensure the government deliver the necessary year-on-year cuts in climate emissions.
"During the election campaign we know that many of those MPs now elected heard directly from constituents about the urgent need to help cut climate change. We hope that those elected will remember those requests and respond accordingly. We will be here to help them if needed, but also to prod them if they some how forget."
ENDS
For more information: on behalf of the LINK campaign:
NOTES TO EDITORS:
[1] The everyone campaign is an initiative from Scottish Environment LINK, the umbrella body for Scotland's environmental organisations. Campaigning together as the everyone coalition, during the election, the groups encouraged their supporters to challenge politicians to step up action to cut global climate change. Using the slogan 'cut climate change, turn the heat up on your MP' the groups published a series of election demands they wish politicians to take action on.
The everyone campaign is demanding that politicians come forward with policies that will deliver year-on-year progress toward a cut of at least 20 per cent in carbon dioxide emissions by 2010, and put us on a path to a 60 per cent cut by 2050.
• The campaign provided user-friendly information packs and campaigning website: http://www.everyonecan.org with briefing materials and information on contacting candidates.
• The campaign contacted every candidate standing for election in the new Scottish constituencies on what they will do to cut climate change if elected. The results can be found on http://everyonecan.org/survey
• Campaign postcards and an e-mail advert were circulated widely to encourage people to get involved.
The everyone cut climate change campaign is open to any group which agrees with the campaign aims and is currently supported by: Association of Regional and Island Archaeologists, Badenoch and Strathspey Conservation Group, Biological Recording in Scotland, Butterfly Conservation Scotland, Cairngorms Campaign, Friends of the Earth Scotland, Greenpeace UK, Hebridean Whale & Dolphin Trust, John Muir Trust, Marine Conservation Society, Mountaineering Council of Scotland, The National Trust for Scotland, NUS Scotland, North East Mountain Trust, People and Planet, Plantlife, Ramblers' Association Scotland, Reforesting Scotland, RSPB Scotland, ruralScotland, Soil Association Scotland, Scottish Countryside Rangers' Association, Scottish Wild Land Group, Scottish Wildlife Trust, Sustrans Scotland, TRANSform Scotland, Woodland Trust Scotland and WWF Scotland.
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