It’s not every day you’re called to step up in defence of your planet, but Greenpeace is asking you to do just that through its global campaign to change Volkswagen “by turning them away from the Dark Side”.
According to Greenpeace, despite the green image it likes to portray, VW is at the heart of a group of companies lobbying against new laws which we need to cut carbon dioxide emissions, reduce our oil use and protect places like the Arctic from climate change.
“Only a rebellion can stop them – a mass of people from all across the globe –demanding that they change. We need you to be part of that rebellion,” says Greenpeace on its website.
Greenpeace says its activists are busy showing Volkswagen for what it really is “a regressive company using its influence to prevent us getting the laws we need to protect our planet and boost our economy” on the streets across Europe. The environmentalists warns that climate change is becoming “dangerous” and is calling on people to sign “the rebel manifesto to turn VW away from the Dark Side”.
Greenpeace strikes back
They chose the campaign theme after Volkswagen ran an ad campaign showing a cute kid in a Darth Vader costume turning on one of their cars. It's been a big hit but for a company that Greenpeace describes as “essentially threatening the future of all of our children”, it thought it was ripe for a remake.
“The symbolism of Star Wars is far better suited to the kind of destruction Volkswagen’s policies threaten to wreak on our planet, than to a fluffy advert to sell more of their cars,” adds Greenpeace.
The association claims that for every “greener” vehicle VW sells, it shifts around 15 others which emit much more carbon dioxide, and alleges that the German car manufacturer adds a huge price mark-up for its greener vehicles - way above the cost of the technology.
“Right now, politicians across Europe are debating whether to raise our target for carbon dioxide cuts from 20 to 30 per cent (based on 1990 levels) by 2020. It’s such a necessary increase that many people and organisations - from the UK government to Google, from Ikea to Unilever - agree that we should do it. But not Volkswagen,” says Greenpeace.
It even claims that along with spending millions on groups lobbying against the 30 percent target, VW is also opposing new fuel efficiency targets. These would cut carbon dioxide emissions, save drivers money and reduce our dependence on oil.
“But all is not lost. We feel the good in Volkswagen. They have the engineers and the technology to make some of the most efficient vehicles on Earth. But their bosses have been seduced by the Dark Side and are employing henchmen to lobby against the strong emissions cuts that we need. The time has come when we have no choice but to raise a rebellion to confront them,” concludes Greenpeace.
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