|
28 october 2002
new delhi
URGENT ACTION NEEDED TO ADDRESS CLIMATE
CHANGE, SAYS RALLY
New Delhi, India, October 28 , 2002 --
Five thousand people from communities in
India as well as representatives from
international organizations, including
Friends of the Earth International (FoEI),
marched in today's Rally for Climate Justice
in New Delhi to highlight the plight of
communities affected by climate change in
India and across the world.
Ministers from around the world arrive
here tomorrow to negotiate this week at the
United Nations meeting on climate change
(conference of parties 8 - COP8). But climate
negotiations show no progress and communities
are calling for urgent action to address
climate change and to protect their
livelihoods in a manner that is consistent
with human rights, worker’s rights, and
environmental justice.
“This rally highlights the sense of
urgency communities feel as the devastating
impacts of climate change started to strip
them of their livelihoods,“ said Kate
Hampton, climate change campaign coordinator
for Friends of the Earth International.
“Countries must do far more to reduce
their emissions of climate changing gases,
and the United States, the world' s biggest
polluter, must join the rest of the world in
the war against climate change. Unless we act
now the planet faces catastrophe,” she
added.
The rally began in New Delhi at the Gandhi
memorial at 12.30 local time and ended in
Connaught Place, central New Delhi. A
delegation of community representatives
supported by international organizations,
including Friends of the Earth International,
presented their demands at the official
negotiations at 5 pm.
Given the entrenched opposition to action
from the fossil fuel industry and governments
like the US and Saudi Arabia, environmental
organizations joined forces with social
movements in order to progress this most
urgent agenda. The window of opportunity to
prevent dangerous climate change is closing
fast and, for many communities, the impacts
are already alarmingly present.
The rally was organized by the India
Climate Justice Forum, including the National
Alliance of People's Movements, the National
Fishworkers Forum, Third World Network, and
CorpWatch. Friends of the Earth International
is part of a growing coalition which seeks to
build a global movement to prevent dangerous
climate change.
For more information contact in New
Delhi:
Kate Hampton, FoEI climate change campaign
coordinator +919818996658 (mobile) or
+447748967323 (mobile) or
kate_foei_climate@hotmail.com
www.foei.org/media
Amit Srivastava, Indian Climate Justice
Forum: +919810346161 (mobile)
|
