G8 zklamala v otázce boje proti klimatickým změnám

7.7.2005
GLENEAGLES [WWF]

The G8 Summit, which was tragically overshadowed by the terrorist attacks in London, bowed to pressure from the Bush administration and failed to deliver a strong statement on the urgency of the problem of climate change and the need to cut emissions now.

WWF sees the Summit as a missed opportunity to make the world’s top eight economies agree to an effective agenda on climate change.

“There’s nothing meaningful in the G8 text because they couldn’t come to an agreement demonstrating the continued split between the Kyoto seven and the US,” said Jennifer Morgan, Director of WWF International’s Climate Change Programme.

“Following the strong statements on the science and the Kyoto Protocol from Brazil, China, India, Mexico and South Africa, the Bush administration is clearly more isolated than before.”

WWF says the current US administration continues to ignore the overwhelming weight of evidence outlining the threat climate change will have on the global economy and the environment. The US’s focus on new technologies as a solution to reducing emissions fails to address the problems caused by climate change.

“Thanks to the Bush administration, the world’s biggest polluters have given little hope to those already suffering from climate change, especially those in Africa who will be hit hardest by climate change,” added Morgan.

“Technology is important but without real targets to reduce greenhouse gas emissions it is simply not enough.”

Even if progress is made on poverty issues in Africa it will be undermined by the lack of action on climate change. The consequences of G8 inaction will be devastating for Africa, making droughts and floods more likely, with decreasing crop yields adversely affecting the livelihoods of the world’s poor.

WWF is concerned by the G8’s failure to provide financial and technical support to the world’s five major developing countries (Brazil, China, India, Mexico, and South Africa) for a low carbon development path, which they called for in a consensus statement on Thursday.

“Why should we in the developing world end up with the bill for the G8’s carbon emissions,” said Samrat Sengupta, Senior Policy Officer at WWF-India.

“The world’s leading economies need to help us with clear programmes and financing to develop our economies, leapfrogging dirty technologies.”

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