A draft document leaked prior to next month’s G8
Summit which questions the urgency of climate change action has been slammed by
environmentalists. The document, seen by Friends of the Earth, is titled
‘Gleneagles Plan of Action' and does not outline any clear targets of
timetable of action.
Prime Minister Tony Blair has pledged to make climate change, along with Africa,
the key focus of the G8 presidency. Questioning the scientific basis of global
warming has been a consistent element of the Bush Administration’s
environmental policy throughout recent years.
"This draft shows no progress is being made on taking action to tackle
climate change - despite the high profile efforts of the UK Prime Minister,”
commented Friends of the Earth International's climate campaigner Catherine
Pearce. “Indeed negotiations seem to be going backwards. If the leaders of the
world's richest nations cannot agree to tackle the greatest threat facing the
planet, what kind of leadership are they showing to the rest of the world?”
"Every reference to the urgency of action or the need for real cuts in
emissions has been deleted or challenged. Nothing in this text recognises the
scale or urgency of the crisis of climate change. If they can't do better than
this, the outcome of G8 summit will be worse that hot air: it will be a backward
step in international climate change policy, simply adding to climate
injustice," she added.
ConnectPress®, Ltd. Entire contents copyrighted by ConnectPress, Ltd. All rights reserved.