ARCTIC GREEN PARTIES CALL ON LEADERS TO OPPOSE

[nosmokes]

GREEN PARTY OF CANADA
http://green.ca/
GREEN PARTY OF THE UNITED STATES
http://www.gp.org

For Immediate Release:
Tuesday, September 20, 2005

Contacts
Green Party of Canada:
Van Ferrier, Media Relations, 514-804-3684,
[e-mail]
Green Party of the United States:
Scott McLarty, Media Coordinator, 202-518-5624,
[e-mail]
Starlene Rankin, Media Coordinator, 916-995-3805,
[e-mail]

ARCTIC GREEN PARTIES CALL ON LEADERS TO OPPOSE
DRILLING

MONTREAL (20 September 2005) -- Green Parties of
Arctic Council member countries are calling upon
country leaders to stand against oil and gas
exploration in the Arctic National Wildlife
Refuge (ANWR), said Green Party of Canada leader
Jim Harris in a joint statement with the Green
Parties of Denmark, Finland, and the U.S. today.

Harris made the comments on Arctic Refuge Action
Day as thousands of concerned citizens gather at
the U.S. Capitol to voice their opposition to
drilling in the ANWR. The statements come just
over two weeks before the U.S. Senate is expected
to finalize a budget bill that could allow
companies to begin leasing exploration tracts.

"In order to reverse global climate change,
Arctic countries must immediately reduce their
uneven share of greenhouse gas emissions from
burning fossil fuels," said Harris who noted the
U.S. contributes nearly a quarter of global
greenhouse gas emissions with only 5 percent of
the world's population.

The Arctic Council has reported that temperatures
in the Arctic are rising twice as fast as the
rest of the world. Global climate change is
causing habitats to melt away, wildlife to go
extinct and new migration patterns that have
eroded the livelihoods of Northern peoples.

The Bush Administration is also turning a blind
eye to economic forecasters who warn that spikes
in global oil prices will harm the world economy
if renewable energy sources are not made more
available. The price of crude oil skyrocketed
beyond $US70 per barrel after Hurricane Katrina
hit the U.S. Gulf coast last month.

"Extracting the 11 billion barrels of oil thought
to exist in the ANWR will do next to nothing to
cushion spikes in oil prices due to supply
interruptions on the U.S. Gulf coast, in Africa,
the Middle East or Latin America," said Harris.
"There is no good reason for the U.S. to
jeopardize the world economy and the environment
for only 17 months of oil -- ten years down the
road."

The Green Party of Canada calls upon the leaders
of Arctic Council member countries to follow
through on their commitment to protecting Arctic
ecosystems and communities by pressuring the U.S.
to abandon oil and gas exploration in the ANWR
and ratify the Kyoto Protocol.


MORE INFORMATION

Green Party of the United States
http://www.gp.org
1700 Connecticut Avenue NW, Suite 404
Washington, DC 20009.
202-319-7191, 866-41GREEN
Fax [phone]

Green Party of Canada http://green.ca/

De Grønne (Green Party of Denmark)
http://www.groenne.dk/

Vihreä Litto (Green League of Finland)
http://www.vihrealiitto.fi/


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[sadiesworld]

1. kick

[Rainscents]

2. Kick, Kick and Kick!!!

:kick:

[gizmo1979]

3. Congressman Petri rep.WI

is a swing vote on this issue.He has voted against the drilling everytime it has come up,but because it is buried in the budget he is wavering.We have been working on him for the last 3 weeks,and many of us went to washington today.I think we still have a chance but we need to flood his office with calls and E-mails.
http://www.house.gov/petri/