Spoof press statements make serious point

Canada became the target of a spoof media story by ActionAid and the Yesmen as progress to reduce its emission levels is so slow.

15. December 2009

“We played a joke on Canada to emphasize how far they have to go to reduce emissions and pay their climate debt. They are putting the lives and livelihoods of 800 million small farmers at risk”, said Frans Mikael Jansen, Director of MS ActionAid Denmark.

Canada's high emissions are due to its energy intensive economy and very high energy consumption per capita. It ranks just ahead of Saudi Arabia when it comes to progress in reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

A spoof announcement by Canada was posted at www.enviro-canada.ca announcing full emission cuts, followed 20 minutes later by a spoof response from Kodili Chandia Benadette, one of ActionAid’s climate debt agents from Uganda, posing as a member of the Africa Union.

“Farmers in my own family are suffering from prolonged drought”, said Benadette. “We have not created this problem but we have to live with it. That’s why rich countries must pay their climate debt”.

“ActionAid’s campaign work rallies public support behind our political demands. We use non-violent and innovative campaigns to attract attention and encourage rich countries to pay their climate debt”, said Jansen.