Young people meet eu ministers to demand they ‘wrap up’ climate change

Ministers from countries including Poland, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, Norway and Germany will be presented with messages from young people from over 30 countries. The messages collected by Young Friends of the Earth Europe urge politicians to take urgent and drastic action to secure the future of their generation from the worst impacts of global warming.

Bette Harms from Young Friends of the Earth Europe said:

“We believe it is urgent to take serious action on climate change and want our governments not to disappoint us, but to inspire us by taking the lead in these negotiations – we as youth, contrary to many parties here, have no vested interest in these negotiations other than our future.”

So far the EU has dramatically failed to show leadership at the UN talks which are a milestone to an agreement in Copenhagen next year. Ministers arriving for the final two days of the meeting must provide some much needed ambition to agree on the second phase of the Kyoto Protocol by the end of 2009.

Only by agreeing strong domestic action, in the form of drastic emission cuts, can the EU really claim to be a leader internationally. But new legislation due to be agreed by Heads of State this week is nowhere near ambitious enough and will allow two thirds of emissions reductions to be achieved through the purchase of ‘offset credits’ from developing countries.

Antje von Broock, climate campaigner for Friends of the Earth Germany (BUND) said:

“The European Union is causing a standstill – it’s trying to play down the importance of these talks and by doing so it is playing with people’s lives. Europe can only be a genuine leader if it commits to at least 40 per cent missions cuts in Europe by 2020 and to repay its climate debts by helping developing countries.”

FOR MORE INFORMATION FROM POZNAN, POLAND, CONTACT:

Bette Harms of Young Friends of the Earth Europe at: bette.harms@gmail.com, Tel: 0031 644 788583

Antje von Broock, climate campaigner for Friends of the Earth Germany/BUND, antje.vonbroock@bund.net, Tel. 0049 173 6071601

Francesca Gater, Communications Officer for Friends of the Earth, francesca.gater@foeeurope.org, Tel: 0032 485 930515

NOTES

1. Names of Ministers attending the event:

Jacqueline Cramer – the Netherlands;
Ed Miliband – United Kingdom;
Sigmar Gabriel – Germany;
Maciej Nowicki – Poland;
Erik Solheim –Norway.
Others to be confirmed.

Also attending: Jean Pascal van Ypersele – Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.

2) Young Friends of the Earth Europe is a grassroots network that brings together young people and youth organisations from all over Europe to work together on pressing environmental issues such as climate change in a European context. It aims to give politicians, businesses and the general public a refreshing youth perspective on environmental issues.