Courtesy of www.oxfam.org.uk, 19/09/09:
Ever since Alexander Graham-Bell picked up the phone and said, “Mr Watson, come here. I want to see you”, there have been some pretty important telephone calls. Now you can join the list of people who have used the phone for world changing stuff.
There will be a “Wake Up Call” to leaders all over the world on 21 September. World leaders are meeting at the United Nations General Assembly on 22 September and the leaders of the G20 – the world’s biggest economies – will be meeting a few days later.
Ahead of those meetings people will be calling their leader to reinforce the message that at the UN Climate Change Summit in Copenhagen this December they must agree a deal that saves the planet, and the people on it, from run-away climate change.
People across the UK need to pick up the phone and tell the Prime Minister that they want him to ensure strong action in every international meeting from now until the big one in Copenhagen. You can say pretty much anything you like but make sure you call him on 020 8144 7459.
However, if you want to go into detail, here are a couple of tips about how you can direct the conversation.
1. The PM must make sure that the UN and G20 work towards rich countries reducing their emissions by at least 40% by 2020.
2. Rich countries provide at least $150 billion a year for developing countries, so that they can develop cleanly and deal with the immediate impacts of climate change.
Copenhagen will be vital but at every international meeting we must take important steps towards ensuring we get the right outcome in December. The PM needs to be in no doubt that thousands of people are demanding that a fair and safe deal is done at Copenhagen.
So call him on 020 8144 7459 and you never know, you might get a “hullo” – that’s Gordon Brown answering – from the other end. You will probably be greeted by a voicemail so make sure you leave a message. You can also leave one below letting us know what you’ve said to the PM.
I don’t know what was so urgent that Mr Bell needed to invent the phone to get hold of his mate Mr Watson, but I’m sure he never grasped the implications of his invention. So phone the PM and let him know that you need to speak to him about climate change. You never know what it might lead to.
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