What’s the best possible way to show your personal commitment in the fight against climate change? Within the framework of this year’s European Mobility Week, over 1,000 cyclists from Budapest, Rome and Stockholm joined forces to provide you with a good answer.
They sought to demonstrate that also YOUR voice may be heard while global leaders gathered in Copenhagen will be discussing further actions to curb the global warming!
On 20th September, cyclists from the 3 cities decided to get on their bikes and ride through the city streets to show how easy this can be for each of us to join this worldwide cause. Biking tours in the three capitals were meant to emphasize the need of taking an individual action in order to limit our negative impact on the environment and spread the word about our common responsibility for the climate’s future.
This special event, organised by the European Cyclists’ Federation and local cyclists’ associations, has also made part of the European Commission’s endeavors to increase the pressure on national governments ahead of the forthcoming UN Climate Change Conference to be held in Copenhagen on 7-18 December.
“Let your voice be heard. Governments need to act now. Fight climate change” was the message passed on to people attending the event and to the general public. T-shirts and caps with this caption were worn by cyclists, who used this form of communication to promote the special website managed by the World Climate Community.
When visiting www.fightclimatechange.eu, each of us can leave a 140-character message, which would be later forwarded to global leaders taking part in the Copenhagen summit. The initiative makes it possible to back the EU negotiators and strengthen their position while reaching the final agreement. The EU’s goal is to convince other national governments about the need to reduce CO2 emissions by 30% by 2020 and now your voice can make this objective easier to achieve!
Cyclists in Budapest, Rome and Stockholm were joined by celebrities and prominent personalities, like actors, journalists or representatives of international bodies. They came to express their support for the action and share their belief in the importance of personal commitments in the fight against climate change.
“Technology development, tougher policy decisions and behavioral change are among those aspects, which are necessary to achieve a substantial change in the fight against the global warming. I feel strongly about this issue and welcome more similar events aiming at raising awareness of the climate threat” - said Pär Holmgren, Swedish meteorologist and author, who gave a speech at the finish line of the Stockholm tour.
Along with the biking tours, other events took place in particular cities. Besides watching cyclists passing through the streets, people of Rome and tourists visiting the Italian capital could enjoy a great deal of street performances, including live music.
People in Budapest were given the possibility to test new models of high-tech bikes on training tracks set up in the city. Participating in the action organised by the Hungarian Ministry of Transport, Telecommunication and Energy, they could even contribute to the effort to break the Guinness world record in cement drawing!
Events were organised by the European Cyclists’ Federation (ECF) and the European Commission DG Environment with the cooperation of local cyclists’ associations. To learn more about ECF’s current actions, visit the website. Information about EU’s climate policy may be found on www.ec.europa.eu/climateaction
Video link: www.youtube.com/watch?v=yK4kYSYPdWk
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