Climate Justice Needed

MEDIA ADVISORY
Friends of the Earth International
Monday 24 September 2007

CLIMATE JUSTICE NEEDED TO ADDRESS GLOBAL WARMING

WASHINGTON, DC, USA / LONDON, UK, 24 September 2007 – The Chair of Friends of the Earth International, Meena Raman, warned 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, addressed the participants of the New York United Nations (UN) `informal’ Climate Summit, a meeting attended today by some 80 Heads of State.

“Industrialised nations which have contributed disproportionately to climate change must take lead in radically reducing their emissions of greenhouse gases,“ said Meena Raman, Chair of Friends of the Earth International in New York.

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

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

“Some technologies 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. It is essential that, at the UN talks in Bali this December, we 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,” she added.

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”, said Elizabeth Bast of Friends of the Earth US in Washington.

“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,” she added.

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

FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT

IN NEW YORK
Meena Raman, chair of Friends of the Earth International; Tel: + 60-1243 00042 (Malaysian cell)

IN WASHINGTON, DC
Elizabeth Bast, International Policy Analyst, Friends of the Earth US; Tel: + 1 – 202 222 0719 or +1 202 641 7203 (US cell) Nick Berning, press officer, Friends of the Earth US; Tel: + 1 – 202- 222-0748

IN LONDON (UK)
Joe Zacune, climate campaigner, Friends of the Earth International; Tel: +44 -7967 877 593 (UK cell)

Pictures of Meena Raman are available