GLOBAL REPORT ON CLIMATE NEUTRALITY TO BE ISSUED BY UNITED NATIONS ON JUNE 5

Release Part of World Environment Day Celebration at Chicago Botanic Garden

Chicago Botanic Garden CLENCOE, IL, June 2, 2008 --/WORLD-WIRE/-- Climate change is the defining issue of our times. Cutting greenhouse gas emissions is the answer. And a new United Nations publication – to be released on World Environment Day, June 5, 2008, at the Chicago Botanic Garden -- shows how various levels of society can work towards climate neutrality.

In describing the Report, entitled “Kick the Habit: A UN Guide to Climate Neutrality,” United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon noted that, “Addiction is a terrible thing. It consumes and controls us, makes us deny important truths and blinds us to the consequences of our actions. Our world is in the grip of a dangerous carbon habit. The message of this book is that we are all part of the solution. Whether you are an individual, a business, an organization or a government, there are many steps you can take to reduce your climate footprint.”

The Report will be issued June 5 in various venues around the world, including the Chicago Botanic Garden, regional host for North America for World Environment Day. “Kick the Habit, A UN Guide Climate Neutrality” was authored by experts from many disciplines and countries, with leading research organizations involved in preparing and reviewing the publication. Aimed at a broad audience, presenting solutions for individuals, businesses, cities and countries, NGOs and intergovernmental organizations, the publication shows how all levels of society can get closer to climate neutrality.

Amy Fraenkel, director, regional office North America, United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), noted that, “The overall theme is that kicking the CO2 habit may be easier than you think, and can be accomplished by quite simple daily choices, that added together can result in a significant overall reduction in daily emissions from each and every one of us.”

Fraenkel, who will release the findings of the report during her remarks at the International Climate Change Forum at the Chicago Botanic Garden on June 5, added that, “The book is rich in case studies, illustrations, maps and graphics and serves also as a reference publication. For example, as part of a discussion on the ways that individuals in developed countries can more than halve their carbon footprint by making simple choices, the book notes that by replacing a 45-minute workout on a treadmill with a jog in a nearby park saves nearly 1 kg of greenhouse gas emissions.”

Fraenkel will be available to media to discuss the report’s findings on June 5, at the Chicago Botanic Garden, north of downtown Chicago. An online and downloadable version of the publication will be launched following the print publication, helping to make this guide broadly and cheaply accessible as well as climate-neutral.

For more information on UNEP and Kick the Habit, A UN Guide to Climate Neutrality, contact Elisabeth Guilbaud-Cox, United Nations Environment Programme, Regional Office for North America (RONA) at (202) 828-1203 or via email at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it . Further information can be found at the web site of UNEP’s Regional Office for North America at www.rona.unep.org.

For information on the International Climate Change Forum and World Environment Day activities at the Chicago Botanic Garden, contact Gloria Ciaccio, manager of public relations for the Chicago Botanic Garden at 847/835-6819 or via email at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it . More information on the Chicago Botanic Garden and World Environment Day can be found at the Garden’s web site at www.chicagobotanic.org.

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