It’s rare for me to post a second item on the same day but this warrants it!
The full copy of this recently issued Press Release now available on the End Fossil Fuels Subsidies website is republished in full below.
PASS IT ON!
oooOOOooo
PRESS RELEASES
MIDDAY TWITTERSTORM REPORT
June 18, 2012
Call to #EndFossilFuelSubsidies at Rio+20 Tops Twitter
EU Commissioner for Climate Action Connie Hedegaard, celebrities Mark Ruffalo,
Stephen Fry, and Robert Redford, journalist Nicholas Kristof, and more join global push
RIO DE JANEIRO — The push to end fossil fuel subsidies at Rio+20 became the #2 most talked about topic worldwide on Twitter this morning.
The social networking site, which has 100 million active users, tracks discussions by hashtag and #endfossilfuelsubsidies ranked #2 globally and #2 in United States and Australia. 350.org, the global climate campaign coordinating the effort, estimated that the hashtag was being tweeted at least once a second, reaching millions of people around the world.
A number of politicians, journalists, celebrities, and high-profile activists joined in the campaign, helping catapult it into the spotlight:
British actor Stephen Fry tweeted, “Let’s green $1 trillion with a plan to save the planet. Sign the petition & RT: http://j.mp/endFFS #endfossilfuelsubsidies #G20 #RioPlus20.”
American actor Mark Ruffalo, who recently played the Hulk in the box-office sensation The Avengers, tweeted, “Good Morn! Can you help us end fossil fuel subsidies? Pls tweet #endfossilfuelsubsidies TODAY to help us send a msg & spread the word.!!!”
The EU Commissioner for Climate Action Connie Hedegaard, who is expected to play a key role at the Rio+20 negotiations,tweeted, “Fossil fuels subsidies have no place in today’s world . They must be phased out as the G20 pledged. #EndFossilFuelSubsidies #Rioplus20.”
Journalist and New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristof tweeted, “A twitterstorm underway calling on leaders to #EndFossilFuelSubsidies at Rio summit: http://yfrog.com/1qamv1j.”
350.org founder Bill McKibben tweeted, “$1 trilllion is a lot of money–tired of the fossil fuel industry laughing at us, so joining the twitterstorm #endfossilfuelsubsidies.”
Activists with 350.org are projecting tweets in cities around the world, including Sydney, London, New Delhi, and New York, as well as inside the Rio+20 negotations.
Yesterday, 350.org and Avaaz unfurled a giant $1 trillion bill on the Copacabana beach in Rio, producing some spectacular photos. The global campaign Avaaz.org is delivering a petition with 750,000 signatures calling for an end to fossil fuel subsidies to G20 leaders in Los Cabos, Mexico this afternoon. Over a million people have signed different petitions calling for action on subsidies in the last two weeks.
The current draft of the Rio+20 agreement released on Saturday includes a paragraph on ending fossil fuel subsidies, but negotiations now hang in the balance as oil exporting countries led by Saudi Arabia and Venezuela attempt to delete any references to the proposal. The final decision is likely to come down to Brazil, who hold sway as the host country.
The Twitterstorm can be tracked at endfossilfuelsubsidies.org. Supporting organizations for endfossilfuelsubsidies.org include: 350.org, Avaaz, Climate Reality Project, Earth Day Network, Friends of the Earth International, Global Exchange, Green For All, Greenpeace International, Greenpeace New Zealand, Natural Resource Defense Council, Oil Change International, Quercus, SumOfUs, Wild Aid, WWF
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CONTACT: In the US, Daniel Kessler, dk@350.org, +1 510-501-1779; In Rio, Jamie Henn, jamie@350.org, +55(0)2181061948
NOTE TO EDITORS:
1. Information on the $1 Trillion in fossil fuel subsidies: http://priceofoil.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/1TFSFIN.pdf
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PRESS ADVISORY/PHOTO CALL
‘Twitterstorm’ gathers speed before Monday’s Global Cyberaction to #EndFossilFuelSubsidies at Rio+20
RIO, 15 June 2012 — Momentum is building for this Monday’s 24-hour “Twitterstorm,” a massive international online action to increase pressure on world leaders to cut nearly $1 trillion in fossil fuel subsidies at the upcoming Rio+20 Earth Summit.
For 24 hours between June 18th and 19th, as world leaders gather at the G20 summit and prepare for Rio+20, hundreds of thousands of people around the world will tweet with the same hashtag — #EndFossilFuelSubsidies — at celebrities and politicians, flooding the popular social network with their demand. Over 1 million people have already signed a petition calling on leaders to act.
Recent developments on the Twitterstorm include:
• Confirmation of tweet projections in Sydney, London, New Dehli, and Rio (see Notes section for times and locations) (1)
• A new website with fact sheets, a tool to tweet at celebrities and Heads of State, and more resources for activists: http://www.endfossilfuelsubsidies.org
• A new Facebook event that has registered over two thousand “Tweet Team” members to recruit participants for the day of action. (2)
• Support from over a dozen civil society groups, including 350.org, Greenpeace International, Oil Change International and WWF. (3)
WHAT: A 24-hour Twitterstorm to #EndFossilFuelSubsidies at Rio+20
WHEN: The 24-hour clock will begin at 8:00 UTC (6 PM local time in Sydney) when activists will flock to Twitter with messages that will be projected in iconic locations in Sydney, New Delhi, London, and Rio. In recent weeks campaigning groups have collected over 1 million signatures demanding that leaders act now.
WHY: According to figures compiled by Oil Change International, countries are spending as much as $1 trillion USD combined annually on fossil fuel subsidies. (4) The International Energy Agency estimates that by cutting these subsidies, the world can cut global warming causing emissions in half and significantly contribute to preventing a 2 degree temperature rise, the limit most scientists say we need to stay under to prevent runaway climate change. (5)
In May, leaders of the G20 again pledged to eliminate fossil fuel subsidies. They first made the commitment in 2009 but have yet to implement the policy change at the country level.
While global warming emissions rise and gas prices spike, fossil fuel companies continue to make massive profits, which brings into doubt the need for subsidies. ExxonMobil, for example, made $41.1 billion USD in profit in 2011.
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CONTACT: In the US, Daniel Kessler, 350.org, dk@350.org, +1 510-501-1779; In Rio, Jamie Henn, jamie@350.org, +55(0)2181061948
NOTE TO EDITORS:
1. June 18 projection events
• Sydney
◦ Summary: Sydney will launch the Twitter Storm from the Sydney Opera House. Local supporters are invited to send a photo or video message to world leaders with the Sydney Opera House and Sydney Harbour Bridge as a backdrop. Projection of the Twitter feed will continue late at night around Sydney’s CBD.
◦ 6 PM (UTC+10) Sydney Opera House Boardwalks
◦ 9 PM (UTC+10) Sydney CBD
◦ CONTACT: Abi Jamines abigail@350.org, +61 403278621
• New Delhi
◦ Summary: There will be two projections in New Delhi.
◦ Projection 1: 6 PM – 9 PM, Moonlighting, An indoor projection while the Twitter feed is projected to an invited audience along with a speaker to discuss the issue of fossil fuel subsidies in the Indian context. (Will share speaker details soon, yet to be confirmed).
◦ Projection 2: 6PM – 11 PM An outdoor projection at a local mall called DLF Saket.
◦ CONTACT: Chaitanya Kumar, chaitanya@350.org, +91-9849016371
• London
◦ Summary: There will be 3 events in London–a petition delivery at 10 Downing Street in the morning, followed by two projections.
◦ Petition delivery: 10:30am GMT+1, Number 10 Downing Street, London.
◦ Projection 1: 1:30pm GMT+1, Houses of Parliament, London
◦ Projection 2: Approximately midnight GMT+1 (Tuesday 19th June), Nelson’s Column, Trafalgar Square, London
◦ CONTACT: Emma Biermann, emma@350.org, +44 (0) 78 3500 4720,
• Rio
◦ Summary: Tweets will be displayed in the Rio Centro conference center all day.
◦ CONTACT: Jamie Henn, jamie@350.org, +55(0)2181061948
2. https://www.facebook.com/events/304496622975461/
3. Supporting organizations include: 350.org, Avaaz, Climate Reality Project, Earth Day Network, Friends of the Earth International, Global Exchange, Green For All, Greenpeace International, Greenpeace Australia, and Greenpeace New Zealand, League of Conservation Voters, Natural Resource Defense Council, Oil Change International, Oxfam, Quercus, SumOfUs, Wild Aid, World Wildlife Fund
4. http://priceofoil.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/1TFSFIN.pdf
5. http://www.iea.org/files/energy_subsidies_slides.pdf
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‘Twitter Storm’ Planned to Pressure Leaders to End Fossil Fuel Subsidies at Rio+20
Environmental conference ideal place to end wasteful giveaways to corporate polluters, says civil society groups
Oakland, 7 June 2012 — Campaigning organizations from around the world will join forces on June 18 for a 24-hour ‘Twitter storm’ in which tens of thousands of messages will be posted on the social networking site demanding that world leaders use Rio+20 to agree to end fossil fuel subsidies.
The 24 hour clock will start at 6PM local time in Sydney (8AM UTC), when activists will begin to flock to Twitter with messages that will also be projected in iconic spots in Sydney, New Delhi, London, Rio, and other locations. In recent weeks campaigning groups have collected over 1 million signatures demanding that leaders act now to end subsidies and start to invest in clean energy solutions. (1)
According to figures compiled by Oil Change International, countries together are spending as much as $1 trillion dollars annually on fossil fuel subsidies. (2) The International Energy Agency estimates that by cutting these subsidies, the world can cut global warming causing emissions in half and significantly contribute to preventing a 2 degree temperature rise, the number most scientists say we need to stay under to prevent runaway climate change. (3)
“We are giving twelve times as much in subsidies to fossil fuels as we are providing to clean energy, like wind and solar. World leaders shouldn’t be subsidizing the destruction of our planet, especially since these subsidies are cooking our planet,” said Jake Schmidt, International Climate Policy Director at the Natural Resources Defense Council.
In May, leaders of the G20 again pledged to eliminate fossil fuel subsidies. They first made the commitment in 2009 but have yet to implement the policy change at the country level.
While global warming emissions rise and gas prices spike, fossil fuel companies continue to make massive profits, which brings into doubt the need for subsidies. ExxonMobil, for example, paid an effective US federal tax rate in 2010 of 17.2 percent, while the average American paid 28 percent.
Participating organizations include 350.org, Avaaz, Greenpeace. Oil Change International, Natural Resources Defense Council, and others.
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CONTACT: In the US, Daniel Kessler, 350.org, +1 510 501 1779, daniel@350.org
NOTE TO EDITORS:
1.http://endfossilfuelsubsidies.org/
2. http://priceofoil.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/1TFSFIN.pdf
Learning from Dogs 
C’est horrible de prendre notre argent pour subventionner les pétrolières dans leurs actions destructives envers notre écosystème! Pour ma part, j’utilise les transports communs depuis l’an 2008 pour réduire les émanations d’essence dans mon environnement! Je recycle, je parviens même à donner plus d’une seule utilité aux articles avant de les mettre dans le bac de recyclage!… J’utilise même le dos de mes factures pour écrire des mémos pour avertir de mon absence ou pour préparer ma liste d’épicerie de la semaine suivante… Mon mot d’ordre est de préserver et, améliorer notre qualité de vie! Cesser de subventionner ces compagnies pétrolières immédiatement! Et préserver notre planète et, leurs habitants qui la composent, que, ce soit pour les espèces de race animales et, végétales… Préservons nos océans et, nos sources d’eau potable qui s’amenuisent constamment! Il faut effectuer ses actions pour offrir une meilleure vie à nos enfants! Je vais partager cette information auprès de mes contacts pour que, tous saches les abûts dont ils sont victime! !
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Dear friends,
If you’d asked me a day ago whether or not it would be a thrill to spend the day watching tweets come across a computer screen, I think I might have answered ‘not really.’ And I don’t suppose I’d want to do it every day — but for the last 24 hours I can’t think of anything more exciting.
The #EndFossilFuelSubsidies TwitterStorm we asked you to set off has exploded around the planet. We don’t know yet whether we’ve broken Justin Bieber’s Twitter world record — but we do know we’ve managed to get a message across to leaders in Rio and in national capitals around the world.
And that message is simple: we are watching. People all over the planet understand that it’s simply wrong to be sending tax dollars off to the richest industry in the world, an industry that’s wrecking the atmosphere and endangering our shared future.
Click here to see a round-up of our favorite moments from the #EndFossilFuelSubsidies TwitterStorm >> Link is http://endfossilfuelsubsidies.org/twitterstorm/story/
The tweets were posted from every corner of the globe — and by hundreds of thousands of people. Together, we were loud enough to spend much of the day near the top of Twitter’s list of “Global Trends.” We had important politicians join the storm, with messages streaming in from Nancy Pelosi in the USA and former Prime Minister Helen Clark of New Zealand. And we spread our message far outside the choir today: celebrities like Richard Branson, Stephen Fry, and the Hulk (Mark Ruffalo) shared the #EndFossilFuelSubsidies message, posting it for millions and millions of followers to see.
But most importantly, the message was spread by all of you — and now it’s too big to ignore. The simple call to #EndFossilFuelSubsidies is cutting through the noise at the Rio Earth Summit in Brazil. Already, we’re getting reports that the issue now sits squarely at the center of the world’s agenda. We don’t yet know how it’s all going to turn out, but it’s safe to say that the TwitterStorm made a positive outcome in Rio a bit more likely.
So many thanks to all who took part. We know it wasn’t the biggest thing we’ve ever asked you to do. But there are days when merely typing can shift the world a little bit, and today was one!
Onwards,
Bill McKibben for the 350.org Team
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