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20 Nov 2000
The Chair of the Hague summit, Dutch environment minister Jan Pronk, has
described the massive dike built by Friends of the Earth International
as a symbol of hope for the success of the talks.
But inside the Conference Centre, discussions are not going well. The United States and its supporters (Canada, Japan, Australia) are still trying to water down the Kyoto agreement. These countries want to avoid as far as possible having to take domestic action to cut emissions from fossil fuels. They are arguing for all kinds of loopholes including “sinks” (for example forests), which would count towards their Kyoto targets.The European Union argues in public for binding commitments to domestic action, but may agree a deal, such a “50/50" domestic/loophole split. Under pressure and in private, they may even accept forests and other sinks as counting towards an agreed 50% domestic contribution. This would mean that the U.S and others could reach Kyoto targets with barely any real action to cut fossil fuel emissions at all!
FOEI has been analysing US and other countries' policy papers to discover what price -per tonne of carbon saved - developed countries are prepared to pay for a deal at the talks? What price will the politicians put on the lives, homes and jobs lost in weather disasters?
Commenting, FOEI Climate Expert Frances MacGuire said:
“Thousands of citizens came from all over the world last weekend to build a dyke. It is now the symbol of hope for the success of these talks. But inside the Conference Centre, the politicians are still fighting over every loophole and escape clause they can find.
What price per tonne of carbon saved are the US and other countries prepared to pay for a deal in the Hague? What value do they put on the lives, jobs and homes that are being lost as a result of climate change?
A news report on the building of the dyke will be shown on the internal
TV system at the Conference Centre every hourfor the remainder of the
week. Minister Pronk has promised to put sandbag from the dike on the
table at plenary sessions of the Conference.
Dyke pictures are available at www.foeeurope.org/dike/done/
and www.foe.co.uk
Contact details:
Friends of the Earth
26-28 Underwood St.
LONDON
N1 7JQ
Tel: 020 7490 1555
Fax: 020 7490 0881
Web: www.foe.co.uk/feedback.html
Media team
