Kyoto/Barcelona, 5 November
2009 - More than 400 climate change negotiators,
business leaders and environmental activists
will travel together on board
the Climate Express train to Copenhagen
in a call for world leaders to agree a fair,
ambitious and binding deal to address climate
change when they meet at the UN climate
summit in Denmark.
Achim Steiner, the Executive
Director of the United Nations Environment
Programme, will board the train alongside
Franny Armstrong, the producer and director
of the film 'The Age of Stupid', Luo Hong,
the wildlife photographer and UNEP Climate
Hero, and Apa Sherpa a WWF Climate Witness
who holds the world record for the most
ascents of Mount Everest, Yoshio Ishida,
UIC Chairman and Vice Chairman of East Japan
railways, Jean-Pierre Loubinoux, the Director
General of the International Union of Railways
(UIC). They will be joined by top rail executives
including as well as other passengers from
the media, to business leaders, to civil
society (see Note to Editors).
The Climate Express
train, will travel from Brussels to Copenhagen
on 5 December and will be the final leg
of the 'Train to Copenhagen' project, organized
by the International Union of Railways (UIC)
with the support of the UN's Seal the Deal!
campaign and WWF, the global conservation
organisation. The 'on-track' conference
aims to raise awareness of the transport
sector's influence on climate change, and
provides a key opportunity for the passengers
on board to debate the key climate talks
ahead, during workshops and round table
discussions on the different aspects of
sustainable mobility, and how this could
be addressed in a post-2012 agreement.
The next generation
climate regime, to be agreed upon in Copenhagen,
must support the development of smart sustainable
transport systems. Rail, as one of the most
sustainable forms of transport, offers an
efficient, low-carbon mass public transportation
system, as well as safety and space efficiency.
By drawing power entirely from renewable
sources of energy, the journey on the Climate
Express will be totally CO2-free. If the
same group of people flew to Copenhagen
instead of taking the train, they would
produce 115kg CO2 per person.
Connie Hedegaard, the
COP 15 host and Danish Climate Minister
and Søren Eriksen, CEO of the Danish
Railways (DSB), will welcome the Climate
Express at arrival in Copenhagen.
Also as part of the
'Train to Copenhagen' project, the UIC Climate
Change and Rail Seminar will kick off on
5 November in the Japanese city of Kyoto
- the birthplace of the current Climate
Change Protocol. The seminar, co-organized
with the Asian railways, will highlight
how transport can be part of the solution
in the fight against global warming.
To underline what railways
have to offer, a Global Rail Position Paper
will also be carried by rail via Vladivostok,
Moscow, Berlin and Brussels before reaching
Copenhagen. Based on data gathered from
international railways, the paper advocates
a shift to rail from road and air as a crucial
step to support transitions to low-carbon
mobility.
During the journey through
Russia, environmental experts and climate
change campaigners will report on the signs
of global warming underway via www.traintocopenhagen.org
and on Twitter at http://twitter.com/Trn2Cpnhgn.
Mr Loubinoux underlines
that "UIC believes that reducing transport
emissions is a crucial step in combating
global warming. We in the rail sector are
ready to be part of the solution. Keep Kyoto
on track and Seal the Deal!"
Notes to Editors:
About the Climate Express
train
The Climate Express
train will travel from Brussels to Copenhagen
on 5 December, stopping in Cologne and Hamburg
along the way. The 12-hour journey will
feature workshops and round table discussions.
Personalities boarding
the Climate Express train to Copenhagen
on 5 December will include:
Mr. Achim Steiner, UN
Under-Secretary-General and UNEP Executive
Director
Mr Paul Magnette, Belgian Federal Minister
of Climate & Energy
Mr Etienne Schouppe, Belgian State Secretary
for Mobility
Mr Matthias Ruete, Director General, Energy
and Transport at the European Commission
Mr. Yoshio Ishida, UIC Chairman and Vice
Chairman of the Japan East Railways
Mr. Guillaume Pepy, CEO of SNCF
Mr Jannie Haek, CEO SNCB-Holding
Mr Marc Descheemaecker, CEO SNCB
Mr Francisco José Cardoso Dos Reis,
President of the Board of Directors of the
Portuguese Railways (CP)
Mr. Jean-Pierre Loubinoux, UIC Director
General.
Mr Jean-Pascal Van Ypersele, IPCC Vice-President
Mr. Wang Shi, the Chairman of the Chinese
Society of Ecology and Entrepreneurs and
Chairman of Vanke corporation
Ms. Franny Armstrong, the producer and director
of the film The Age of Stupid
Mr. Luo Hong, the wildlife photographer
and UNEP Climate Hero
Mr Apa Sherpa, mountaineer and WWF Climate
Witness
About the Train to Copenhagen
initiative
A number of UIC members
are undertaking local Train to Copenhagen
campaigns to facilitate transportation to
the COP15 for national delegations and other
participants, including special fares. Check
your local railway company for more information
or www.traintocopenhagen.org
About UIC
UIC is the International
Union of Railways - the worldwide organisation
for international cooperation among railways
and for the promotion of rail transport
at world level in order to meet the challenges
of mobility and sustainable development.
UIC has 200 members on all five continents
and is headquartered in Paris (www.uic.org).
UIC is working continuously
to further improve the environmental and
sustainability advantages of the rail sector
- including its energy efficiency. UIC is
also leading the rail sector's work in adapting
rail infrastructure to the consequences
of climate change.
About UNEP
UNEP, established in
1972, is the voice for the environment within
the United Nations system. UNEP acts as
a catalyst, advocate, educator and facilitator
to promote the wise use and sustainable
development of the global environment. To
accomplish this, UNEP works with a wide
range of partners, including United Nations
entities, international organizations, national
governments, non-governmental organizations,
the private sector and civil society.
www.unep.org
About WWF
WWF is the world's leading
independent conservation organization working
to solve the most serious environmental
issues facing our planet. WWF's solutions-focused
and science-based approach underpins our
a call for a fair, ambitious and legally-binding
global agreement on climate change to be
agreed in Copenhagen.
About the Seal the Deal!
Campaign
The UN-led Seal the
Deal Campaign aims to galvanize political
will and public support for reaching a comprehensive
global climate agreement in Copenhagen in
December. As well as featuring a series
of initiatives worldwide in the run-up to
the Copenhagen meeting, the campaign encourages
users to sign an online, global petition
which will be presented by civil society
to governments of the world.
www.sealthedeal2009.org
