WWF launches international campaign: Seize Your Power

"We are running out of time. We know that if we continue to rely on fossil fuels we will face a future of worsening air pollution and an increasingly inhospitable climate. It is now our collective responsibility to commit to the future we want. We call on political and financial decision makers to seize their power to make the switch to clean and sustainable renewable energy and end the inertia of coal, oil and gas," said Jim Leape, director general of WWF International.

WWF will campaign to seek major public commitments from governments and international financial institutions to make new investments in the renewable energy sector. The public campaign will feature in more than 20 countries, where WWF is targeting public finance, pension funds and sovereign wealth funds. By establishing a business case for moving new money into renewable energy, the campaign will show the environmental, social and economic risks of the dependence on dirty energy such as coal, oil and gas.

Huge economic and political interests

"The energy markets' driving forces include speculation, institutional inertia, lack of accurate information, perverse incentives, but also huge economic and political interests. It's time to reframe the debate and expose the real costs of fossil fuels and the real opportunity of the renewable energy sector. The call to action we're launching today is an invitation to every decision maker to invest in the future we want - one that is powered by clean, renewable and sustainable energy," added Samantha Smith, leader of the Global Climate and Energy Initiative of WWF-International.

"As one of the largest per capita greenhouse gas emitters in the world, with an abundance of renewable energy resources, South Africa has an obligation to accommodate a much larger share of renewable energy in its Integrated Resource Plan (IRP) beyond 2030 to support a more dramatic reduction of carbon emissions," said Saliem Fakir, Living Planet unit head of WWF-SA.

WWF believes that new investments are an essential turning point in shifting money from risky fossil fuels into clean and renewable energy.

If the rise in CO² levels year after year continues while we ignore science, it will only mean drastic consequences in years to come.

Smith concluded: "We need to act and invest money now in clean, renewable energy to limit dangerous climate change, to reduce the risks to human health from dirty fossil fuels, to fast-track access to energy, and to safeguard our collective future."