Thousands of “Moving Planet” Climate Rallies Underway Worldwide

*** Hi-res Photos and Videos of Events Available for Press ***

GLOBAL -- Photos and videos of massive bicycle rides and marches are streaming onto the 350.org website this morning, as over 2,000 “Moving Planet” clean-energy demonstrations get underway in 175 countries around the world.

“The planet has been stuck for too long with governments doing nothing about the biggest problem we've ever faced,” said Bill McKibben, founder of 350.org, the international climate campaign coordinating the demonstrations. “This is the day when people will get the earth moving, rolling towards the solutions we need.”

Moving Planet got an early start in Cairo on Friday afternoon, when hundreds of Egyptians took to the streets to form a “Human Nile,” raising awareness about the threat global warming poses to critical water resources

As the sun rose in the Pacific Saturday morning, villagers on the island of Tonga held a ceremony to bless the day of events while islanders on Tuvalu prepared for a day of swimming lessons and disaster drills to raise awareness about climate impacts.

As the day continued, thousands of New Zealander in Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch and 32 other locations took part in large actions for Moving Planet. From a mass parade through Auckland's Queen St, a climate debate with MP's in Nelson including the announcement of three renewable energy projects in the region, a festival in Dunedin, and a failed attempt at a rocket launch in Wellington (taking the theme "Moving Planet" a little literally) - followed by a renewable race around town showing multiple renewable energy solutions.

"While the actions have been great fun, they also highlight a urgent need to move the planet beyond fossil fuels and towards a clean energy" says Aaron Packard, 350.org Oceania Co-ordinator. "We've launched a petition today asking our leaders to commit New Zealand to a clean energy future, because we need to get moving now."

In the coming hours, Moving Planet will bring together hundreds of events across the Western Hemisphere, from the formation of a giant bicycle in London and enormous wind-turbine in Paris to mass bicycle parades in Sao Paulo, New York and San Francisco.

Photos from the days events will be displayed on a giant screen outside the United Nations General Assembly in New York City, reminding leaders the world expects progress at climate negotiations in South Africa this November and the Rio+20 Earth Summit next Spring.

"Moving Planet, is a global expression of unity, urgency and purpose to show political and business leaders they need to move from rhetoric to action," said Kumi Naidoo, Executive Director of Greenpeace International. "Today, we're beginning to move in the right direction."

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More information and hi-res photos and video available at:
http://www.350.org/media/moving-planet

About 350.org:

350.org is an international grassroots climate campaign named after the safe upper concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, 350 parts per million. Right now, the atmosphere contains 392 ppm of CO2. Scientists say immediate action is necessary to address the crisis.

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