CHENGDU, Oct. 2, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- In support of the Global Goals campaign, 17 flags representing the 17 global goals are being raised in iconic locations across the world. Goal 7 - Affordable and Clean Energy for All - was raised by 3-month-old giant pandas, Keda and Kexiao, the first pair of giant panda twins to be born in the world this year, at the Chengdu Research Panda Base of Giant Panda Breeding (or simply Chengdu Panda Base), Chengdu, Sichuan, China.
The Global Goals are a plan for everyone, everywhere, with no one left behind, so those raising the flags range from Royalty to Sherpas, refugees and indigenous tribes. Throughout September, flags were raised in iconic locations around the world from Moscow's Red Square to Sydney's Harbour Bridge and in communities that stand to benefit the most from the implementation of the Global Goals - from the Larke Pass in Nepal to Lira Town in Northern Uganda.
On 25th September 2015, at the United Nations Headquarters in New York, 193 world leaders committed to a series of ambitious targets, known as the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), to achieve three extraordinary things in the next 15 years: End poverty, fight inequality & injustice, and fix climate change.
If the goals are famous - if people care about what has been promised by the politicians, it greatly increases their chance of being implemented. That's why the Global Goals campaign aims to reach 7 billion people in 7 days with news of the Global Goals.
"As China is one the world's leading producer of renewable energy sources, yet also one of the largest emitter's of greenhouse gases, who better to represent action on this key goal to ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all," said Agi Veres, Country Director of UNDP China.
"Clean energy can bring a better future to pandas, humans and our planet," said Dr. Zhang Zhihe, Director of the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding. The Chengdu Panda Base is a well-known institution for the preservation of endangered wildlife and is dedicated to being environmentally friendly and runs on clean energy: the base uses energy efficient LED lighting, and electronic buses are used to transport their visitors around the base.
The panda has long been considered both an ambassador for China - seen often as envoys of friendship from China to the world - and an ambassador for the environment. Raising the flag for Goal 7 with the pandas perfectly highlights the importance of using clean energy to protect the environment of the cutest endangered species on the planet. As well as representing China and the world's goal to take responsibility to provide affordable and clean energy by 2030.
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