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FLOODS ACROSS EUROPE

15 Aug 2002

Devastating floods over much of Europe are a warning of the havoc that climate change will wreak if the burning of coal, oil and gas is not drastically reduced, said Friends of the Earth today.

Recent floods in China have already been blamed on climate change [1]. There is some disagreement between scientists but German and US experts say that climate change could also be a factor in the European floods [2]. The UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change says it is highly confident that climate change will lead to increased flood damage globally due to more intense rain storms [3].

European leaders attending the forthcoming Earth Summit in Johannesburg must heed these warnings, and demand tougher action to phase out the use of coal, oil and gas and promote new renewable sources of energy.

Friends of the Earth is calling on leaders at the Earth Summit in Johannesburg:

• Call upon all countries to ratify the Kyoto Protocol, particularly Russia and Canada, who are delaying their ratification, and the United States and Australia, who have reneged on their Kyoto commitments;
• Agree to accelerate negotiations, through the United Nations process, for further emissions reductions, immediately following the entry into force of the Kyoto Protocol;
• Agree a global target and programme of action such that 10 per cent of primary energy be supplied from new renewable sources by 2010;
• Commit to phasing out environmentally harmful energy subsidies in the fossil fuel and nuclear sector.
  

Kate Hampton, Friends of the Earth's International Climate Coordinator, said:

"These floods demonstrate the enormous power of the weather to disrupt our lives and livelihoods. Scientists say continued burning of coal, oil and gas is already changing the climate, increasing the risk of floods and other extreme weather events. European leaders attending the Earth Summit in Johannesburg should take note and demand tougher action to phase out fossil fuels and promote renewable sources of power. That means setting a global target that 10 per cent of all energy be supplied by new renewable sources by 2010. It also means standing up to US President, George Bush, who doesn't even want climate change and the Kyoto Protocol to be discussed."

Notes

1. Associated Press "Mild Winters, dust, and floods in new places: China's extreme weather linked to global warming" 13 August 2002
2. Dr. Freidrich-Wilhelm Gerstengarbe of the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research, quoted by MTI - the Hungarian Press Agency; Kevin Trenberth of the National Centre for Atmospheric Research in the US, Financial Times "Blame for flooding may be misplaced" 15 August 2002.
3. IPCC 2001 "Climate Change 2001: Synthesis Report" p. 72
   

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