Early this morning, 7 activists from Greenpeace climbed a construction crane high above the State Department in Washington DC, to deploy a giant banner stating: “TOO BIG TO FAIL: Stop Global Warming – Rescue the Climate”.

The action unfolded just before leaders from the worlds most polluting countries gathered for the Major Economies Forum at the State Department. While the MEF was started by Bush to undermine the Kyoto process, Obama recently announced a continuation of the meeting – recognizing the need for the world’s major economies to address climate change in the lead-up to Copenhagen. Hillary Clinton was addressing the crowd at the State Department, while Obama himself was speaking next door at the National Academy of Sciences.

The climbers and the banner were up for several hours, in full view of  Hillary and Obama’s motorcades, thousands of DC residents, the international delegates to the meeting, and international press. Already, the action has been covered in the Washington Post, CNN, the Guardian UK, Wall Street Journal. and Associated Press

And of course, this action builds on the growing momentum of the global climate justice movement, including the recent events such as the thousands risking arrest at the Capitol Climate Action in March, to  Cliffside in North Carolina last week, to the waves of actions trying to save Coal River Mountain, to the mass mobilzations at the UK climate camp. Our movement is growing, our actions are escalating – and together, we will fight for climate justice!

WASHINGTON – April 27 – Greenpeace today urged government ministers from the world’s 17 biggest greenhouse polluters (1) to “Stop Global Warming” and “Rescue the Planet” from the devastating effects of climate change. The international environmental group greeted the ministers with the banner message hung from a construction crane near the State Department as they assembled in Washington D.C. for climate talks under the Major Economies Forum (MEF) process.

“Time is running out. This meeting is an opportunity to fast-track discussions on avoiding catastrophic warming and inject some much needed urgency and cooperation into the ongoing UN climate talks, which are dragging on at a snail’s pace,” said Karen Sack, Greenpeace International Political Director.

“President Obama has said that the US is ready to lead on global warming,” said Carroll Muffett, Greenpeace USA Deputy Campaign Director. “Now we need the President to move from words to deeds and engage leaders in Congress and the world’s governments to lead them toward climate solutions.”

A peak in global emissions by 2015 followed by a rapid decline to as close to zero as possible by 2050 is crucial to protect the climate. The industrialized world must commit to deeper cuts in emissions and provide financial and technical assistance to developing countries to enable them to switch to clean energy, stop deforestation and adapt to those climate impacts that are now unavoidable.

“Greenpeace is calling on world leaders to take personal responsibility for guaranteeing a strong, legally binding and fair agreement at the UN Climate Summit in Copenhagen, in December. That means they must be there in person,” said Sack.

This week, climate will be on the agenda at both ends of Pennsylvania Ave. While nations gather at the State Department, members of Congress will be discussing the Waxman-Markey draft legislation, a good first step in cutting emissions, but a bill that needs to be strengthened by the removal of government giveaways to the coal industry and the removal of greenhouse gas reduction shortcuts in the form of off-sets.

Last month, Greenpeace released its roadmap for slowing climate change, the Energy [R]evolution, which shows that the US can cut emissions 25 percent by 2020 while creating millions of jobs in the renewable energy sector and avoiding taxpayer subsidies to the coal and nuclear industries.

To read the full-report, visit: http://www.greenpeace.org/usa/press-center/reports4/energy-r-evolution-a-bluepr

Visuals of the banner are available at: http://usaphoto.greenpeace.org/20090427emitters/