Wellington – New Zealand actresses Lucy Lawless and Keisha Castle-Hughes joined other celebrities Saturday in launching a petition urging the government to sign on to a 40 per cent cut in greenhouse gas emissions by 2020.

They were joined by actor Rhys Darby, of Flight of the Conchords, and London-based chef Peter Gordon as ambassadors for a campaign by the international environmental group Greenpeace aimed at United Nations climate talks in Copenhagen in December. The talks are aimed at hammering out an agreement to replace the Kyoto Protocol to reduce greenhouse gases blamed for climate change.

Lawless, 41, star of the Xena, Warrior Princess television series, said, “I’m signing on because there’s no Planet B.

“There’s nowhere else for our kids and grandchildren to go. We need to get on with the business of tackling climate change.”

Castle-Hughes, 19, star of the movie Whale Rider and a teenage mother, said, “It’s really important for me that my kids have access to the same resources that I’ve had the privilege of having. Our government needs to do the right thing in Copenhagen in December.”

Greenpeace New Zealand executive director Bunny McDiarmid, said in a statement: “It really is now or never. At no other time will the legacy of today’s leaders be so determined by how they respond to this single issue. They will be held accountable because the stakes are so high.” (dpa)