Environmental Heroes Ask World Leaders to Take Risk on Behalf of Humanity

What would you do, personally, to defend life on the planet we call home? Would you dedicate your life to the future of life on earth? Would you risk your own life for the lives of others? Few people make these great sacrifices. We call them heroes. Maybe you are part of a larger group of environmentalists who conserve resources and vote for candidates who support environmental protection. Do you hold your leaders accountable?
Will you demand that your president attend the international Rio+20 Earth Summit and represent future generations, not just our own?
Today, on World Environment Day, A total of 107 Goldman Prize winners from around the globe, modern-day environmental heroes, representing a broad spectrum of activism on behalf of sustainable life on our precious planet, have added their names to a statement demanding their leaders attend the Rio + 20 Earth Summit. All have taken great personal risks to protect the environment, often facing arrest, torture, violent threats and assassination attempts along the way. Now they are asking their leaders to take the simple political risk of showing up at The Rio + 20 Earth Summit and acting on behalf of all humanity. Their statement released today begins:

We are the recipients of the Goldman Environmental Prize. We have been threatened. We have been tortured. We have been jailed. We have died from industrial toxins in our blood. We have been killed. We are the recipients for the Goldman Environmental Prize. We are from 81 countries. We are grassroots activists. We are national ambassadors. We are indigenous people. We are environment ministers. We are women. We are men. We are elders. We are youth.
For over two decades the Goldman Environmental Prize has honored individuals for the great risks we take to protect the environment. Now we ask you to take a risk. Attend the Earth Summit in Rio and lead us into action.