THE IRISH Timesand 55 other newspapers in 45 countries today launch an unprecedented joint appeal to the opening of the UN climate change conference in Copenhagen.
The common editorial, run in each of the papers today, is addressed to the heads of government at the 190-nation summit which will try to broker a new global pact to combat climate change. “Humanity faces a profound emergency,” the editorial argues, and time is running out.
That newspapers reflecting such diversity of perspective, from all over the world, should be able speak with one voice, it argues, reflects both the urgency of the challenge and the possibility that leaders too can come together.
“Overcoming climate change will take a triumph of optimism over pessimism,” it argues, “of vision over short-sightedness, of what Abraham Lincoln called ‘the better angels of our nature’. The politicians in Copenhagen have the power to shape history’s judgment on this generation: one that saw a challenge and rose to it, or one so stupid that we saw calamity coming but did nothing to avert it. We implore them to make the right choice.”
The following papers are running the editorial today:
Economic Observer– China; Southern Metropolitan Daily– China; CommonWealth Magazine– Taiwan; Tuoitre– Vietnam; Brunei Times– Brunei; Jakarta Globe– Indonesia; Cambodia Daily- Cambodia; the Hindu Times– India; the Daily Star– Bangladesh; the News– Pakistan; the Daily Times– Pakistan; Gulf News– Dubai; An Nahar– Lebanon; Gulf Times– Qatar; Maariv– Israel; the Star– Kenya; Daily Monitor– Uganda; New Vision– Uganda; Zimbabwe Independent– Zimbabwe; New Times– Rwanda; the Citizen– Tanzania; Al Shorouk– Egypt; Botswana Guardian– Botswana; Mail Guardian– South Africa; Business Day– South Africa; Cape Argus– South Africa; Toronto Star– Canada; Miami Herald– US; El Nuevo Herald– US; Jamaica Observer– Jamaica; Brujula– Nicaragua; El Universal– Mexico; Zero Hora– Brazil; Diario Catarinense– Brazil; Diaro Clarin– Argentina; Süddeutsche Zeitung– Germany; Gazeta Wyborcza– Poland; Der Standard– Austria; Delo– Slovenia; Vecer– Slovenia; Information– Denmark; Politiken– Denmark; Dagbladet– Norway; the Guardian– UK; Le Monde– France; Liberation– France; La Reppublica– Italy; El Pais– Spain; El Mundo– Spain; De Volksrant– Netherlands; Kathimerini– Greece; Publico– Portugal; Hurriyet– Turkey; Novaya Gazeta– Russia; Le Temps– Switzerland; The Irish Times
