Archived press release

Climate justice needed to address global warming

24 September 2007

The Chair of Friends of the Earth International, Meena Raman, will warn the world's Heads of State today that 'climate justice' needs to be urgently addressed in the fight against global warming.

Meena Raman, from Malaysia, will address the participants of the New York United Nations (UN) 'informal' Climate Summit, a meeting attended today by some 80 Heads of State.

Friends of the Earth International Chair, Meena Raman said:

"Industrialised nations which have contributed disproportionately to climate change must take the lead in radically reducing their emissions of greenhouse gases.

The eight most powerful industrialised countries - the G8 - account for 43 per cent of the emissions causing climate change, yet have only 13 per cent of the world's population. That's climate injustice, because climate change impacts most severely upon the world's poorest people.

The technology being promoted to mitigate climate change such as nuclear energy and genetically modified trees are false solutions as they pose risks to the environment, as well as to health and safety, and there are many serious concerns over carbon capture and storage as well as biofuels."

More emphasis and priority should be given to energy efficiency and clean renewables. Hopefully, at the UN talks in Bali this December, we will see the launch of negotiations for a post-2012 UN framework to fight climate change that will end in a more just and climate friendly world."

On September 27-28 the Bush administration will host its own climate change gathering in Washington, DC. The so-called `major economies' meeting will be attended by the 16 countries that account for around 90 percent of greenhouse gas emissions.

The Bush administration is expected to continue to oppose legally binding targets to fight climate change and instead promote 'aspirational' targets that would allow polluters to go on harming the planet.

"The United States must join the rest of the world in tackling climate change within the United Nations framework, instead of promoting purely voluntary measures that will not achieve necessary emissions reductions.

The major economies meeting is another attempt by the Bush administration to send the world the `wrong way' in the global fight against climate change."

Friends of the Earth and other campaigners will be protesting outside the `major economies' talks in Washington on Friday Sept.28 by holding `wrong way' signs.

If you're a journalist looking for press information please contact the Friends of the Earth media team on 020 7566 1649.

Published by Friends of the Earth Trust