Greenpeace activists climbed a main monument in the Mexican City of Guadalajara Saturday in a bid to push climate change up the agenda of talks between North American leaders here this weekend.
President Felipe Calderon will host Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper and US President Barack Obama for his first “three amigos” meeting in this western city on Sunday and Monday, in which Mexico’s wave of drug violence is a key issue.
A Greenpeace activist dressed as a polar bear held a sign reading “Real leaders back clean energy,” standing on a statue in La Minerva fountain in Guadalajara, as the pressure for concrete promises on reducing emissions increased ahead of a worldwide climate conference in Copenhagen in December.
“We’re the region which contributes most to climate change,” said Maria Jose Cardenas, from Greenpeace Mexico, stating that the region emits 26 percent of worldwide greenhouse gases.
Activists called on the three giant energy producers and users to aim to generate almost 40 percent of their electricity from renewable energy sources by 2020.
Joint security amid Calderon’s crackdown on drug cartels, swine flu and efforts to tackle the financial crisis are also key issues on the summit agenda.
