Below is a partial list and
description of EarthActionâs past campaigns along with links to
campaign materials. All materials can be downloaded and reprinted
without permission.
DESERTIFICATION 2006-2007
Desertification is the loss of topsoil and soil fertility in the arid regions of the world. The delicate soils in these regions are becoming so degraded they can no longer support life, causing malnutrition, poverty, economic failure, forced migration, conflict, and extinction of species. The United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) is an international treaty ratified by 191 countries. It contains effective solutions to stop and reverse this deadly problem. But governments must be pressed to keep their treaty commitments.
CHILDREN'S RIGHTS CAMPAIGNS 2001-2003
The Convention of the Rights of the Child (CRC), an international treaty to protect the rights of children throughout the world, was adopted by the UN General Assembly in 1989. Within ten years, 191 countries had ratified this treaty, making it the most widely ratified human rights instrument in history. Today, only two countries â Somalia, which has no central government, and the United States â have failed to become State Parties to the Convention. From 2001 to 2003, EarthAction led four campaigns concerning the CRC. The overall theme for the four campaigns was, âYou Are a Childâ.
EARTH TO AMERICA SEPT-NOV 2004
In
September 2004, EarthAction launched a global campaign, Earth to
America, to bring the faces and voices of the world to the eyes and
ears of US citizens before the November election. Our goal was to
increase Americans' awareness of the opinions and views of people from
other countries, and for Americans to hear directly from ordinary
people around the world about how the U.S. elections and related U.S.
policies would affect their lives.
AIDS VACCINE INITIATIVE 2001
Already
more than 60 million men, women and children worldwide have been
infected with HIV. More than 20 million of them have died. With 15,000
new HIV infections daily, there is no time to delay in developing a
vaccine. This is one issue that crosses all national borders and needs
the attention, resources and creativity of legislators, organizations
and citizens working together.
EMPOWERING WOMEN TO PROTECT THE LAND
Women
on the front lines. In many developing countries it's mainly women who
work the land. Often these women are among the poorest people, who most
need support. Yet in the past, women have frequently been excluded from
land conservation and development projects that directly affect their
livelihoods. As a result of "top-down" approaches to development that
ignore the views of local people, many attempts to protect the Earth's
life-giving soil have failed.
WHAT ON EARTH WERE THEY TALKING ABOUT? November 2000
Before
the US election in November 2000, EarthAction encouraged voters to
question candidates for President and Congress about where they stood
on some critical global issues. Here's the questionnaire and background
material. If you have an election coming up in your country, please
send a similar questionnaire to your candidates or political party
leaders. If enough of us let our politicians know that what they will
or won't do to protect the Earth and all its people is an issue that
might influence how we vote, they'll pay attention!
TAKE THE WORLD'S FORESTS OFF THE WTO CHOPPING BLOCK November 1999
In
the time it takes you to read this Action Alert, an area of rainforest
the size of 50 city blocks will have fallen to chain saws, bulldozers
and flames. Now a new international trade agreement threatens to
accelerate the destruction. You can help to stop it.
PROTECT OUR CLIMATE August 1999
Warming is destabilizing the climate that has supported human civilization for thousands of years. The deep oceans are warming, fracturing Antarctic ice shelves and disrupting rainfall patterns. Glaciers are melting. Oceans are rising. Tropical diseases are spreading. It's time to send a message to our leaders that stronger action is needed now to prevent violent changes to our planet's weather.
END THE ARMS BAZAAR: SUPPORT AN INTERNATIONAL CODE OF CONDUCT October 1998
People have worried for years about the dangers of nuclear weapons, and rightly so, but much less is heard of the huge stocks of conventional non-nuclear weapons. An irresponsible global arms race is fueling human rights abuses, destabilising whole regions and undermining sustainable development. A commission of Nobel Peace Prize winners have proposed an International Code of Conduct to control global weapons sales and they need your support now.
A UNITED NATIONS THAT CAN PREVENT MASS MURDER July 1998
Since 1945, more than one UN Secretary-General and a number of governments have proposed creating a permanent international force to help prevent war, genocide and major human rights violations. Had such a force been dispatched to Rwanda or Bosnia early on, much of the killing might have been prevented and more of those responsible for genocide arrested. Despite this, the UN still has to borrow forces from national armies for peacekeeping. By the time such forces are assembled, hundreds of thousands may have died. You can help us call for a UN force to keep the peace.
SAVE IMATACA FOREST RESERVE VENEZUELA June 98
Much of the South American country of Venezuela is swathed in tropical rainforest. The Imataca Forest Reserve in the northeast of the countryâa vast and beautiful area of forest the size of the Netherlandsâis home to five Indian tribes and a huge variety of wildlife. For over 30 years, in recognition of its fragility and environmental importance, Imataca has been a protected reserve.
A COURT FOR THE WORLD'S WORST CRIMES April 98
Are you tired of seeing the world's worst criminals walk free? Right now you have a chance to make sure that those responsible for genocide, aggression, mass murder, systematic rape and torture are brought to justice.
HELP FROTECT THE FERTILITY OF THE EARTH March 98
One of the most important issues affecting Africa and the world today is the rapid degradation of the land on which people depend for their livelihoods. This degradation is known as âdesertificationâ, because in many places, previously fertile farmlands have already become so badly damaged that they are in a desert-like condition The main causes of desertification, which in some cases irreversibly destroys the soilâs ability to sustain life, include overgrazing, over-cultivation, drought, deforestation, poor irrigation and acute poverty.
GLOBAL WARMING: Climate Change Countdown and the Kyoto Summit September 97
The Earth is heating up. Last year, the climate scientists advising the world's governments confirmed this, and named our industrial civilisation as almost certainly the culprit. Our burning of "fossil fuels" (coal, oil and gas), and the destruction of forests, pumps billions of tons of gases (mainly carbon dioxide) into the air every year...
CREATING AN INTERNATIONAL CRIMINAL COURT June 97
In our time, the world has seen some of the most horrific mass crimes in history. Yet most of the criminals walk free. In 1946, the defeated war criminals of World War II were tried for their crimes at historic tribunals in Nuremberg and Tokyo. The international community determined that war crimes, crimes against humanity, genocide and military aggression should never again go unpunished. They talked of setting up a permanent international court to address such horrors and help prevent them in the future. But nothing was done...
JUSTICE FOR ALEXANDR NIKITIN May 97
A Russian environmentalist faces imprisonment for warning the world of the potential nuclear disaster posed by Russia's aging and dangerous fleet of nuclear submarines. He has broken no law. Yet the Russian government is determined to silence him. They must not succeed...
EARTH SUMMIT - Five years after Rio, what next? May 97
From 23 to 27 June 1997, many national leaders will meet again in New York at "Earth Summit II" to review progress since Rio. Much good work has been done since 1992. But all the fine speeches in the world won't conceal a credibility gap big enough for the whole planet to fall through. The truth is that almost every major problem discussed in Rio has grown worse...
END LOGGING ON YAMDENA ISLAND, INDONESIA April 97
The people of a remote Indonesian island have been fighting a six year battle to save their forests - and their livelihoods - from destruction by logging companies. They have suffered brutality and repression for defending their lands. If the logging goes on, it could literally mean the death of their island. The situation is reaching crisis point. The people of Yamdena Island need your help - now.
NUCLEAR WEAPONS - Rid the World of the Nuclear Threat March 97
The nuclear weapons states, with their 30,000 nuclear weapons, appear committed to indefinite possession of nuclear weapons. And the chances of terrorists gaining possession of nuclear weapons are greater than ever.
CHEMICAL WEAPONS CONVENTION (U.S. Alert) Febuary 97
Within the next few months, it is expected that the US Senate will vote on whether or not to ratify the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC). The CWC is an international treaty that bans the production, acquisition, stockpiling, transfer, and use of chemical weapons. Under the CWC, countries will also destroy all existing chemical weapons and production facilities. International inspections and verification systems will ensure compliance with these provisions.
POPULATION - Time For Governments to Keep Their Promises January 97
In September 1994, the United Nations held an international conference in Cairo, to try and find ways to stem the rapid growth of the Earth's population and meet everybody's basic needs. In the short time since Cairo, the world's population has increased by 210 million, comparable to the populations of Brazil and France combined.
CAN WE PREVENT A CLIMATE CRISIS? October 96
There is no longer any reasonable doubt that the polluting gases that humanity is pumping into the air are heating up our planet. In early 1996, 2,500 climate scientists warned that an unprecedented environmental catastrophe looks more likely every day. Action must be taken now. Whether governments will act decisively to prevent climate change is one of the most important stories of our time.
BURY THE TOXIC WASTE TRADE August 96
Today, the world is closer than ever before to finally stopping rich countries from dumping their poisonous wastes in the backyards of the poor. The international community recently agreed to ban all such toxic waste exports forever. But some governments and industrialists, with a lot to lose from the ban, are already thinking up ways to get around it. They must not be allowed to succeed. You can help to stop them.
SAVE AFRICA'S LAST RAINFORESTS - Logging in Gabon July 96
Almost all of central Africa's forests have been roped off by foreign logging companies, who are taking the timber - and the profits - overseas. Unless action is taken now, Africa's irreplaceable forests will soon be gone.
CRISIS IN NIGERIA - Call for Oil Embargo July 96
A worldwide campaign has been launched to persuade governments of the need for preventive diplomacy to stop civil war from breaking out in Nigeria, already the scene of one of Africa's bloodiest conflicts, the 1967 Biafran war. The campaign is being organized by EarthAction, a network of more than 1,000 citizen groups in 125 countries around the world. The campaign urges concerted international action to persuade Nigeria's military rulers to put the country's aborted democratisation back on course.
GLOBAL GOVERNANCE - RWANDA AND BURUNDI June 96
In Rwanda, a new government is in place, but the old genocidal regime, which was forced to flee the country last year, is re-arming within border refugee camps. Fifty thousand prisoners are awaiting trial for crimes against humanity in Rwandan jails, but after the genocide there aren't enough judges and lawyers to try them.
SAVE OUR CITIES - The Habitat Conference April 96
By the turn of the century, over half the world's population will be living in cities. Yet already a billion city dwellers are homeless, and our cities are increasingly polluting the land, the water and the air we breathe. National and local governments from around the world will be meeting in Istanbul, Turkey, in June, to respond to these mounting challenges. You can help persuade them to act.
BRAZILIAN RAINFORESTS - The New Threat March 96
The indigenous peoples of Brazil have one of the most tragic histories of any of the world's peoples. Since the arrival of the first European invaders 500 years ago, they have seen their lands stolen, their traditions destroyed and their people murdered. ore than 80 indigenous cultures have been wiped out in the Amazon since the beginning of this century.
GLOBAL WARMING - no time to lose October 95
An international body of 2,500 leading scientists is warning that the planet is heating up - now - and that human activities are the likely cause. If our governments don't take firm action soon, the effects could be devastating.
RATIFY THE NUCLEAR PROLIFERATION TREATY August 95
Despite the crumbling of the Berlin Wall the threat of nuclear war remains. The five declared nuclear weapon states, Britain, China, France, Russia and the U.S., continue to keep a total of 30,000 nuclear weapons armed and ready for use, which could be triggered by accident, madness or escalation of a crisis.
DESERTIFICATION - Protecting the Fertility of the Earth July 95
On the initiative of African countries at the Earth Summit in 1992, governments agreed to draw up a Convention to Combat Desertification. After five rounds of negotiations, the Convention was completed in June 1994.
FOURTH INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON WOMEN June 95
When Noerine Kaleeba's husband Chris lay dying of AIDS in a London hospital bed, his great wish was to spend his last days in their native Uganda. Mrs. Kaleeba did take her husband home and he died surrounded by his family. But other than family support, ganda could provide little help or comfort to the Kaleebas.
NO MORE RWANDAS - Editorial Advisory April 95
It wasn't the first time the world has watched from the sidelines while the innocent have died. Two thousand five hundred children have been murdered in cold blood in Sarajevo by Serb snipers and gunners. No one has arrested the murderers. The killing continues...
WORLD SUMMIT FOR SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT January 95
On 11 and 12 March 1995, the world's leaders will meet at the Social Summit in Copenhagen, Denmark to issue a Declaration and Programme of Action on how they plan to combat poverty, unemployment and social disintegration... The task is urgent. In the time it takes you to read this page, one hundred and twenty children will have died from causes which could easily have been prevented by adequate food, clean water and basic health care.
STABILISE OUR CLIMATE : STOP GLOBAL WARMING January 95
Climate change is potentially the biggest threat to the future of the human race and the environment. Government leaders will meet in March 1995 at the "Climate Summit" to review the Climate Change Convention that was signed in 1992 at the Earth Summit in Rio. They need to hear from citizens and organisations around the world that bold action is needed to stop global warming.
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