Robert Redford to Address High-Level Event at the United Nations in Advance of International Climate Negotiations
NEW YORK (June 15, 2015) – Robert Redford, the noted artist and activist, will speak before the United Nations on June 29th, 2015 to discuss the global need to act on climate change. This event, attended by ministers and delegates from over 193 member countries, will mark an important convening in the lead up to the international climate negotiations taking place in Paris, France this December.
“From rapidly rising seas to devastating drought, we can no longer ignore that climate change is happening all across America and the world,” said Robert Redford. “Our international leaders owe it to future generations to act before it’s too late. We are counting on them to make a strong global commitment to stop the pollution that is driving climate chaos in our communities here and abroad.”
The President of the UN General Assembly is convening this High-Level Event on climate change to provide impetus and political momentum for an ambitious climate agreement that will be negotiated late this year. That negotiation, known as COP21, will take place in Paris under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. In addition to Redford’s address, the event will feature panel discussions on concrete initiatives and multi-stakeholder approaches to address climate change.
“Robert Redford has long been giving voice to the underdog, to the people who are trying to do the right thing, and for the environment,” said UN General-Assembly President Sam Kutesa. “His presence at the High-Level Event will help us connect with people all around the world who also want to do the right thing on climate change.”
Redford has been one of the most prominent voices in the environmental movement for over forty years. He joined the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) as a trustee in 1975 and is deeply involved in NRDC’s campaigns to protect America’s air, land and water from pollution. He has been a stalwart voice in the fight to curb climate change, participating in numerous initiatives to seek national and global support to reduce climate pollution and advance clean sources of energy. His climate change address to the United Nations will kick off multiple awareness-raising efforts Redford will engage in this year to help advance the international climate talks in Paris this December.
“Robert Redford refuses to leave the next generation a world beyond fixing – because he knows it’s not too late,” said Rhea Suh, president of the Natural Resources Defense Council. “Global momentum is building to combat the gravest environmental threat of our time. Together we can build a better, healthier and more secure future for our children, and all of the world’s citizens.”
For more information, please see: http://www.un.org/pga/150615_press-release-robert-redford-hle-climate-change/