19 November 2008: The Icelandic singer Björk endorsed
“CoolPlanet2009,” an initiative recently announced by the UN Regional
Information Centre (UNRIC) for Western Europe that aims to raise public
awareness on the impacts of global warming and to mobilize support for new
commitments under climate change agreement, once the Kyoto Protocol’s first
commitment period ends in 2012.

Björk underlined that the financial crisis
should not serve as an excuse to curtail action to limit greenhouse gas
emissions, and expressed the hope that her country would “would skip the
industrial revolution” and proceed directly to “sustainable high-tech options.”
CoolPlanet2009 will launch a website early next year to allow individuals
across Europe to post ideas. [UN
Press Release]