Jun 4 2009
Born out of the UN-wide call for the world to Unite to Combat Climate Change in the lead up to the critical negotiations this December in Copenhagen, one component of this year's World Environment Day will be the launch of the Climate Heroes.
This long-term platform supports a select group who are undertaking exceptional personal feats, high-profile expeditions and other innovative acts of environmental activism to demonstrate their commitment and to raise awareness for one simple idea: Your planet needs You! These projects highlight environmental "hot topics" like CO2 output, finding smart solutions to beat waste and tree-planting.
Participating under the global banner, Unite to Combat Climate Change, their acts, and the attention they generate, will most importantly give voice to the movement of individuals and organizations across the globe who care about the state of our planet and want to see real change and real commitment.
The collaboration between UNEP and the Climate Heroes will build interest, inspiration and momentum to the UN's campaign Seal the Deal! urging world leaders to seal a deal on a fair, balanced and effective agreement at the climate meeting in December.
"Climate heroes are people who take a special initiative, who go beyond the normal responsibilities that we have, who pioneer with unusual initiatives and ideas. They show the kind of commitment, enthusiasm and understanding of how important it is that we all become heroes in order to address climate change," said Executive Director Achim Steiner. "So thank you Climate Heroes and let us hope that your actions will lead us all to being able to say "Yes, in Copenhagen, we sealed the deal!," he added.