The G8 must act on climate and the environment17 June 2013
The UK is hosting this year's G8.
It's taking place at Lough Erne in Fermanagh - the 'lake district' of Northern Ireland and the site of potential shale gas fracking.
Worrying proposals
Some of the proposals on the G8 agenda, such as those on world hunger and land-grabbing, will not only fail to tackle these problems but may even make them worse.
The G8 agenda also fails to address the contribution of its members to the many global crises we currently face, including:
- Unsustainable levels of consumption, using resources from the developing world
- The promotion of economic policies which increase poverty, inequality and environmental destruction
- The expansion of fossil-fuel based industries that increase the risk of catastrophic climate change.
The world's richest nations must stop pursuing economic growth at any cost and build economies that allow us all to live sustainably and equitably within the planet's limited resources.
Andy Atkins, Executive Director Friends of the Earth
Time for real solutions
The G8 must start talking about real solutions to tackle the planetary emergency and help shape a fairer, more sustainable future:
- Tackling global hunger must involve a fairer distribution of food supplies and land, without destroying the planet's natural resources
- Land grabbing should be stopped through true accountability and regulation of investors and firms based in G8 nations
- Transforming the global energy system to slash carbon emissions would tackle catastrophic climate change.
Find out more and discuss these and other issues on our international climate hub.
