Environmentalists: "Turn everything off!" on February 1st

Sunday, January 28, 2007

"L’Alliance pour la Planète", a collective of French environmental organizations (such as WWF France), has launched a campaign to promote awareness on climate change. Under the theme Turn everything off!, they're asking people to turn off their electricity for five minutes on February 1st, between 7:55pm and 8:00pm CET. With the initiative, they hope to remind others, the media and politicians (such as the candidates for the upcoming French Presidential elections) of the ongoing waste of energy. Everyone should turn off the light, as well as all electrical appliances -maybe a good moment for a candlelight dinner, they suggest.

The "five minutes of silence" are believed to put pressure on world governments to discuss the topic more seriously on an international scale. Since the first call various similar international groups have stated their support and currently promote the idea on their websites and newsletters.

The date was originally chosen to match the release of the United Nations fourth climate change report, in which 2,500 scientists from more than 130 countries present their latest findings. The report however has been delayed and will now be released on February 2nd.

In Belgium, non-profit organizations such as Oxfam support the action. The consortium is working with the power distribution company to prevent any negative impact a sudden drop of energy demand might have on the electricity network.

Sources

Press Release: "Participez à la plus grande mobilisation citoyenne contre le changement climatique !" — Les Amis de la Terre, Retrieved January 30, 2007 (French)
Press Release: "5 minutes de répit pour la planète" — L’Alliance pour la Planète, January 27, 2007 (French)
Press Release: Greenhouse/JPBerlin. "Groesste Buergeraktion gegen den Klimawandel" — kommunikationssystem.de, Jaunary 25, 2007 (German)
Press Release: "Le 1er février entre 19h55 et 20h00, on éteint tout!" — Les Amis de la Terre, January 23, 2007 (French)
"Milieuverenigingen vragen alle lichten te doven op 1 februari" — De Standaard, January 22, 2007 (Dutch)
Press Release: Süddeutsche Zeitung Online. "UN-Bericht: Neue Zahlen zum Klimawandel" — Süddeutsche Zeitung Online, January 22, 2007 (German)
Press Release: Doris Holler-Bruckner. "Weltweite Aktion zum Klimawandel" — Oekonews.at, Jaunary 21, 2007 (German)

External links

Amis de la Terre homepage
L’Alliance pour la Planète homepage

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Articles presented on Wikinews reflect the specific time at which they were written and published, and do not attempt to encompass events or knowledge which occur or become known after their publication.

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Note that some listed sources or external links may no longer be available online due to age.