Archived press release

Secret Mexican text could damage fair UN climate agreement

3 December 2010

Commenting on reports circulating at the UN climate negotiations in Cancun, of a secret Mexican text that would replace the Kyoto Protocol with an agreement based upon the Copenhagen Accord, leading to a potential rise in global temperatures of up to five degrees C, Friends of the Earth's International Climate Campaigner Asad Rehman said:

"A new and weak Mexican text could hit Cancun like a category five hurricane - leaving only the rubble of a strong and fair international agreement to tackle climate change in its wake.

"Voluntary emissions reduction pledges, if included, could lead to a five degree rise in global temperatures and suffering for hundreds of millions of people through droughts, floods, and heatwaves.

"The Mexicans should have learned from the Danish hosts in Copenhagen that backroom deals and shady gatherings of ministers will not create a constructive atmosphere for progress - just deep feelings of ill-will.

"The Mexican government would make better use of their time ensuring a fair and open process of negotiation that ensures rich countries agree to a second commitment period of the Kyoto Protocol and cut their domestic emissions by at least 40 per cent by 2020.

"Otherwise Mexican efforts to breathe life into the negotiations will only do exactly the opposite - choke off the oxygen to any chance of progress for the next week of negotiations in Cancun."

ENDS

Notes to editors

1. At the talks in Cancun, Friends of the Earth is calling for rich countries to cut their emissions by at least 40 per cent by 2020, without resorting to carbon offsetting, and for them to commit to this under a second commitment period of the Kyoto Protocol - the internationally agreed mechanism for legally-binding emissions reduction targets.
2. Friends of the Earth is also calling for sufficient money to be made available for developing countries to grow cleanly and adapt to the effects of climate change already causing damage to their people's livelihoods and families. The green campaigning charity is calling for this money to come from public sources, not a global expansion of carbon markets, and to be governed and distributed by the UN through a new Global Climate Fund. Friends of the Earth believes the World Bank should play no part in providing, managing or distributing this money because it is one of the largest lenders for fossil fuel projects in the world.
3. Finally, the green campaigning charity is also calling on Governments to agree an approach to protecting forests which works with, rather than against, the interests of those which rely on them, and not to agree measures which would simply mean they end up in the hands of the highest bidder.
4. Friends of the Earth is supporting the campaign for a tax on financial transactions - a Robin Hood Tax - to provide finance for developing countries to develop cleanly and adapt to the effects of climate change.

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Published by Friends of the Earth Trust