Durham calling Copenhagen - "40:20 - Just Do It!"

12.00.00am GMT Thu 10th Dec 2009

Twenty pupils from Durham's schools will go face-to-face with negotiators in Copenhagen via a live video link during the critical last days of the climate change Summit. From County Hall, Durham on Thursday 17th December, they will be calling on Copenhagen to agree binding international targets and timetables to reduce carbon emissions. With the help of Climate Durham, the pupils are presenting a vision of living in a low carbon world (40:20 Just Do It!) and they will be proposing practical local action.

The two teams will comprise pupils from Framwellgate, Durham Johnston, St Leonard's R.C., Gilesgate Sixth Form Centre and Durham Federation and a Copenhagen team lead by North East M.E.P. Fiona Hall, Yorkshire and the Humber M.E.P. Linda McAvan, German M.E.P Rebecca Harms and Gemma Bone from the UK Youth Climate Coalition.

"We will be presenting a challenge on behalf of all young people in County Durham. We say adopt a target of 40% reductions in emissions by 2020 to give us a fighting chance of avoiding climate chaos" says Anjali Piette from St Leonard's School.

Bethany Lilly from Durham Johnston says "Our message to Copenhagen is '40:20 - Just Do It'. As the generation that will have to live with climate change, we want to prove that local action will secure our future. Negotiators, M.E.P.s and Heads of State need the confidence to know that challenging targets can lead to effective action such as we are putting forward."

Janie Bickersteth from Climate Durham says:

"This is a really exciting opportunity for young people to connect with an international event and make it real for them. They are keen to prove that local action can beat climate change. Indeed, they will be asking for Climate Durham's '40:20 Just Do It!' challenge to be accepted as a relevant consideration within the negotiations".

Fiona Hall MEP says:

"This is a great event and a serious contribution to the climate change debate. It will certainly put the North East on the map in Copenhagen".

Some of the proposals put forward for County Durham by the young people are an energy smart meter in every home, a 'million tree project', a Green Travel day every month in all County Durham towns, clean fuel in all our buses, and more consultation on energy matters in all important developments.