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Fine words from clinton no substitute for action
26 June 1997
Friends of the Earth International today condemned President Bill Clinton's lack of tough action to fight dangerous climate change and called on the US Administration to set meaningful short-term targets for reducing greenhouse gases. President Clinton's speech is believed to contain a number of initiatives to kick start renewable energy in the US and abroad but will fail to commit the US to tough cuts in the gases that cause climate change.
While these measures will boost the development of renewable energy they will have little effect in curbing rising US emissions. US emissions of greenhouse gases are 15 per cent higher now than 1990 levels. This is despite the fact that the US promised in 1992 to stabilise emissions at 1990 levels by 2000. The US accounts for 25 per cent of global carbon dioxide emissions while only having 4 per cent of the world's population.
Friends of the Earth International also deplore the cynicism of the current US Administration; the President's speechwriters wrote the speech at the same time that Clinton's negotiators worked to remove any reference to specific numerical reduction targets from the Earth Summit's final statement.
Kevin Dunion, Chair of Friends of the Earth International, said:
"President Clinton claims to be personally committed to fighting climate change but we have heard this kind of rhetoric before from him and previous US presidents. Clinton will be judged not by fine words but by the tough action he takes to reduce the United States' massive contribution to climate change. Unless Clinton signs up to tough reduction targets he will go down in history as the President who failed the twenty-first century."
PRESS CONFERENCE - THURSDAY 26 JUNE 1997
Room 226, UN, immediately after President Clinton's speech to the UN General Assembly (approx 6.45pm). FOEI will be joining other NGOs to give a detailed response to President Clinton's speech
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Published by Friends of the Earth Trust
Last modified: Dec 2008
