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Today Petru and Sanna are our voice. Their people’s climate campaign wants to show decision-makers the human face of loss and chaos. Today, as they meet MEPs, a live counter will show how many of us stand with them. |
Hi,
A single degree rise in global temperatures has meant that nearly 70 people died as victims to fires caused by unprecedented drought in Portugal last year. [1] An additional half-degree rise would mean millions of homes covered by the sea. Scientists expect this and more havoc to happen in just over a decade – unless we react. [2]
That’s what Petru, a Romanian farmer, and Sanna Vannar, an indigenous Swede, are doing. Together with 9 others whose lives have been degraded by climate change, they want to show decision makers the human face of loss and chaos with their people's climate campaign. [3]
Today is their first chance to speak to decision makers. They’ll meet face to face with MEPs days before a vote on key measures to hold climate chaos back. Today Petru and Sanna are our voice. As they meet MEPs, a live counter will show how many of us stand with them, showing MEPs they are backed by a huge European movement they can’t ignore.
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Supporters of the People’s Climate Case
Petru and Sanna have a ‘travelling’ counter that displays citizens’ solidarity by showing how many of us have signed the petition. The counter has been rolling across Europe over the past months, loyally accompanying them in their public moments, making clear their demands are also the demands of thousands of Europeans.
The counter is the link between Petru, Sanna, and us. It’s their way of showing the media and politicians that they are not alone, that a whole pan-European movement is backing them up - following where they go, amplifying their voices. Just last week, our community came together to fund their (and the counter’s) travelling to Brussels!
That’s why it’s crucial you sign this petition. When you do, when thousands of us do, the numbers on the counter increase, showing live the people power in support of Petru and Sanna. Politicians and media listen more carefully if they know it’s not just a couple of citizens, but tens of thousands that they are dealing with. Today, the ‘travelling’ counter will be at the heart of the European Parliament. Your action from home will make the counter move in Brussels!
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Petru’s family is at risk of losing their farm and livestock, and therefore their means of survival. Sanna’s community of indigenous reindeer herders might follow suit - losing not just economic means, but also their own very ancient culture.
Their stories are drops in the ocean of climate chaos - the difference between their and our stories is just half a degree. To stop that half-degree temperature rise, we need the boldest decisions politicians have ever made.
The vote in March could mean global temperatures rise by one entire degree - or just by half. If our representatives vote to keep our emissions at 55%, we just might be able to keep the temperature rise to a safer level. [4,5]
Our bid is for Petru and Sanna to make the hearts and minds of these MEPs really understand what’s at stake - beyond reports and summaries - with real, personal stories. Show them, and the MEPs, they are not alone.
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Thank you,
Olga (Bologna), Jörg (Lübeck), Virginia (Madrid), and the
rest of us at WeMove.EU
References:
[1]
https://elpais.com/elpais/2018/06/25/inenglish/1529925261_967221.html
[2]
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2018/oct/08/global-warming-must-not-exceed-15c-warns-landmark-un-report
https://edition.cnn.com/2018/10/07/world/climate-change-new-ipcc-report-wxc/index.html
[3]
This is their people’s campaign:
https://peoplesclimatecase.caneurope.org
[4] Limiting global
warming to 1.5 degrees, instead of letting it rise to 2 degrees, requires
dropping emissions by 55% by 2030 compared with 1990 levels. An entire degree
rise would disastrously intensify climate chaos: melting asphalt, bleaching
coral, humans perishing under flames and water, millions of homes covered by the
sea.
[5]
https://www.euractiv.com/section/climate-environment/news/new-eu-plan-comes-out-fighting-for-climate-neutrality/
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