Europe to help climate change

19 June 2006:

A campaign to convince Europeans they can help stop climate change has been launched by the European Commission. The campaign is called "You Control Climate Change" aims to show how everyday actions can lead to cuts in greenhouse-gas emissions. The 50 practical tips included in the campaign range from turning off lights, recycling materials and not using cars. Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso said the campaign highlighted individual responsibility. The campaign also targets pupils, who will be encouraged to sign a pledge to reduce their carbon dioxide emissions. EU member states will be launching the campaign at national level.

Households are responsible for around 15% of the EU's greenhouse gas emissions. Private car use accounts for another 10%.

President Barroso and Environment Commissioner Stavros Dimas unveiled a giant poster next to the Commission's main building in Brussels. Showing the Earth in the universe, with a thermostat attached to it measuring its rising temperature, it includes the message: "You control climate change. Turn down. Switch off. Recycle. Walk." Statues in EU capitals will be adorned with T-shirts with the same message. They include Brussels' bronze fountain sculpture, Manneken Pis, statues of the composer Johann Strauss in Vienna and others.

For more information visit:

Web: [www.climatechange.eu.com/]