Archived press release

Friends of the Earth Director issues climate challenge to Northern Ireland Executive

10 October 2007

Friends of the Earth director Tony Juniper [1] will urge Stormont politicians to commit Northern Ireland to annual cuts in carbon dioxide emissions, when he attends a public meeting in Belfast later this evening (Wednesday 10 October). The Northern Ireland Executive has yet to pledge to any cuts in the region's carbon dioxide emissions, despite backing plans for a UK-wide law to tackle climate change.

Mr Juniper who is speaking at a public meeting later this evening, will also tell local business leaders, civic leaders and activists that urgent action on climate change is crucial, and that many of the solutions already exist.

Through The Big Ask climate campaign [2], Friends of the Earth has led the campaign for the British Parliament to introduce a new law to cut UK carbon dioxide emissions. Labour has agreed to legislate and is due to introduce a Climate Change Bill next month. But, although welcoming the move, Friends of the Earth says that the proposals must be tougher to be effective.

Friends of the Earth director Tony Juniper said:

"I am delighted that the Northern Ireland Executive has given its backing to a new UK law to tackle climate change. But Stormont politicians should go further and commit Northern Ireland to annual cuts in its emissions too. The region could play a significant role in helping the UK become a world leader in developing a low-carbon economy."

Tony Juniper will also urge Northern Ireland politicians to call on the Government to strengthen its proposals for a new climate law.

"I hope that Northern Ireland Executive members will urge the UK Government to strengthen its plans for a new climate law. It should commit the UK to cuts in carbon dioxide emissions of at least three per cent each year, and include Britain's share of pollution from aviation and shipping."

Tony Juniper [3] will be in Northern Ireland on 10 October.  He will be speaking at the Black Box on Hill Street in the Cathedral Quarter at 8PM tonight (Wednesday).  The event is open to the public and free to enter. 

For more details call Niall Bakewell at Friends of the Earth Northern Ireland on 02890897592 / 07729208005

Notes

[1] (back) Tony's availability
Tony will be available for interviews in the morning and afternoon of 10 October. To arrange an interview call Niall Bakewell on 028 9089 7592.

[2] (back) The Big Ask - www.thebigask.com
The Big Ask campaign has been running since the summer of 2006.  Using constituency pressure to persuade MPs to support strong legislation on climate change, it won a major victory in November 2006 when a draft Climate Change Bill was announced in the Queen's Speech, thanks to over 400 MPs signing an Early Day Motion calling for such a bill to be introduced to Parliament. The Big Ask campaign has now moved onto persuading MPs to call for the Bill to be as strong as possible.  Campaigners are calling for three amendments to be made to the Bill, namely:

1. that a target be set of an 80% reduction in CO2 emissions by 2050 (based on 1990 levels)
2. that emissions from aviation and shipping travelling to and from the UK be included in that final figure
3. that smaller targets (of at least three per cent) should be set on a year by year basis to ensure that all future UK governments are held accountable for their responsibility to reduce carbon emissions.
   Gordon Brown strongly implied that he was considering agreeing to the first of these demands (the 80% target) in his speech to the Labour Party Conference in September.

Tony Juniper
Executive Director, Friends of the Earth Biographical Details
 
Tony Juniper has been an environmental campaigner for nearly 20 years. Since 2003 he has been the Executive Director of Friends of the Earth England, Wales and Northern Ireland and from 2000 has been the Vice Chair of Friends of the Earth International, the global federation of 68 national Friends of the Earth organisations.
 
Tony has worked with Friends of the Earth since 1990 and played a prominent role in many of its most high-profile campaigns. He initially led the tropical rainforest campaign. In this role he helped change the policy of the World Bank and harnessed consumer pressure to promote sustainable forestry, for example through the Forest Stewardship Council. For four years he led a coalition effort to change the law governing the protection of the nation's most important wildlife areas (Act of Parliament passed in 2000) and during the mid 1990s was a leading figure in the campaign against road building that led to dramatic shifts in national transport policy. His campaign work has led to several important areas of habitat in the UK being spared from destruction, such as Ballynahone Bog in Northern Ireland.
 
He was a member of the civil society coalition that staged protests against the environmental impacts of world trade agreements in Seattle in 1999 and was a prominent figure in efforts that led to the agreement of the Kyoto Protocol in 1997. Tony has worked closely with the campaign that drew attention to the environmental and economic threats posed by genetically modified crops and was a leading member of the successful campaign to end British involvement (2001) in the Ilisu Dam in Turkey.
 
Tony has worked not only to shift public opinion and government policy but has also been very active in successfully changing the policies and practices of international companies, among others Rio Tinto, BP, Shell and Balfour Beatty. He is now active in the Friends of the Earth campaign to change UK and international law so as to promote more sustainable companies.
 
Tony came to Friends of the Earth from BirdLife International. He worked there to help prevent the extinction of species the world's most threatened bird family - the parrots. He later co-authored the award-winning Parrots (1998) and wrote the acclaimed story of Spix's Macaw (2002).
 
He has worked with children to promote environmental awareness and is experienced in fieldwork (including in the Middle-East, Africa and South America).

Friends of the Earth Northern Ireland
7 Donegall Street Place
BELFAST
BT1 2FN
Tel: 028 9023 3488
Fax: 028 9024 7556
Email: foe-ni@foe.co.uk.

Published by Friends of the Earth Trust