Helmet library to join the Ilmastoveivi2019 climate campaign
Helmet library has become a supporter of the Ilmastoveivi2019 campaign.
Helmet library (public libraries in Helsinki, Espoo, Vantaa and Kauniainen) is participating in the Ilmastoveivi2019 campaign to encourage people to sign the climate petition.
Director of Library Services Jaana Tyrni from Espoo City Library says that libraries consider promoting sustainable development and supporting projects that strive for it a fundamental issue.
– Today, libraries not only enable but also actively promote and realise sustainable development and seek partners to realise their efforts. The Ilmastoveivi campaign is a project started by free citizens, and it is very much in keeping with this idea, Tyrni says.
Supporting active citizenship is the task of the library
The goal of the Ilmastoveivi campaign is to spur Finland to become a true climate leader in preparation for the Presidency of the Council of the European Union, which Finland will hold from July 2019 onwards. As the country holding the presidency, Finland has an opportunity to promote the EU climate goals put in place to restrict global warming to 1.5 degrees.
The campaign states that the current efforts of the EU will only restrict global warming to 3.5 degrees. According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), global warming exceeding 1.5 degrees may cause irrevocable changes to ecosystems, for example.
– The Library Act states that one of the tasks of the library is to support active citizenship. The Ilmastoveivi campaign has a clear and precise goal, which requires action on the part of individuals, who should sign the petition. One aspect of the role of the library is also to promote social dialogue, which is what the Ilmastoveivi 2019 campaign is about.
Jaana Tyrni hopes that other libraries might also embrace the issue.
– We want to challenge all libraries in Uusimaa to ‘Join the Wave’.
The goal of Ilmastoveivi 2019 is to collect 500,000 signatures to the petition to curb climate change. The petition will be presented to the new prime minister of Finland after the Finnish parliamentary election in the spring.
Ilmastoveivi 2019 is a politically independent campaign started by private Finnish citizens.
For more information, visit www.ilmastoveivi2019.fi/en.html