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[Name, Organization, email, cell phone, languages spoken (if doing multilingual press ork!]
Local Residents to attend International Climate Change Negotiations
in Cancn, M!ico
[Local Demands] AND CALL FOR CLIMATE JUSTICE IN LEAD UP TO CLIMATE
TALKS IN CANCUN
["it#, $TATE % No&em'er ((, )*+*]
Along ith thousands of other go&ernment officials, ,nited Nations staff and mem'ers of
communit# organizations all o&er the orld, [local communit# mem'er] -ari .ose Taruc and
Torm Nompraseurt are packing her 'ags for "anc/n, -01ico2 The# are not anticipating much
time to sit on the 'each2 3nstead, the# are tra&eling there to attend the +4
th
international
"onference of the 5arties, or "O5 +4, of the ,nited Nations 6rameork "on&ention on "limate
"hange, here go&ernments, international o'ser&er organizations and ci&il societ# ill gather to
de'ate hat has 'een called 7the future of humanit# and the earth % and the future distri'ution of
the 8N5 of the orld29 The climate change talks ill take place from ): No&em'er % +*
Decem'er )*+*2
[local issue and stor#] Taruc and Nompraseurt are from .ichmond, "alifornia, here communit#
mem'ers, climate change ad&ocates, pu'lic health e1perts, local go&ernment and la'or leaders
ha&e 'een orking together to get "he&ron to 7cap the crude9 at its .ichmond refiner#2
.ichmond has a much higher rate of asthma that local pu'lic health ad&ocates sa# is most likel#
related to the pollution coming out of the refiner#2 At the same time, "he&ron ants to process
hea&ier crude at its .ichmond refiner#, hich ould result in increased air pollution, greater
greenhouse gas emissions and promulgate health impacts related to the increased pollution:
childhood asthma and some t#pes of cancers among them2
[link local struggle to international climate change talks] 7The North .ichmond communit# is on
the frontline of "he&ron;s chemical assault,9 sa#s Nompraseurt2 7<e ha&e e1perienced a lifetime
of chemical e1posure, asthma, cancer and death2 These are human rights &iolations and the root
causes of climate change29
=e adds, 7"ommunit#>'ased acti&ist groups and netorks are leading a glo'al climate ?ustice
mo&ement in confronting the root causes of climate change at home, hile defining communit#
priorities and self>determination patha#s for a ne energ# econom#2 3n .ichmond, this looks
like green ?o's cleaning up and retrofitting the refiner#, hile increasing the funds for social
ser&ices and communit# gardens to increase local food self>sufficienc#29
Taruc and Nompraseurt are mem'ers of the Asian 5acific En&ironmental Netork (A5EN! and
-o'ilization for "limate @ustice><est (-"@><est!, and part of a di&erse delegation of fort#
people from frontline communities in the ,nited $tates and "anada attending the talks2 3n
"anc/n, the# and the other mem'ers of the delegation ill 'e orking to lift up local communit#
solutions such as the ones that A5EN and -"@><est ha&e 'een promoting for .ichmond, oppose
.EDDs and other car'on market false solutions, and pressure the O'ama administration to re?ect
hat the# cal the "openhagen 7discord,9 and adopt "ocha'am'a 5eople;s Accord2
$a#s Taruc, 7.EDDs and other false solutions like it ill allo companies like "he&ron to
continue to pollute and cause asthma and cancers in communities like .ichmond hile most
likel# impacting indigenous peoples; rights in places like Aaos or the 5hilippines, here our
communities come from2 This is not an accepta'le solution to the disruption of the glo'al climate
s#stem, and it increases international and local human rights &iolations29
$he adds, 7Aast #ear in "openhagen e called on the O'ama administration to adopt standards
for reductions in greenhouse gas emissions that ould protect human health in the ,nited $tates
for frontline communities2 3nstead, e got the "openhagen Dis>Accord2 This #ear, in April, o&er
BC,*** people from frontline communities all o&er the orld gathered in Doli&ia to de&elop the
"ocha'am'a 5eople;s Accord2 <e 'elie&e that together, e as the communities historicall# on
the frontlines of the root causes of climate change, along ith our 'rothers and sisters in glo'al
social mo&ements ha&e the solutions to the destruction that has 'een caused '# industries like
"he&ron, and the# are located in the "ocha'am'a 5eople;s Accord29
6or more information on the delegation, see gg?alliance2orgE[link]
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