International Institute for Environment and Development 
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
| International Institute for Environment and Development |
|
|||||||||
|
|
|||||||||
IIED Links: |
|
Global Warming 8 (GW8) |
|
Related Links: |
|
|
Report by Hazel Southam, Tearfund.
THE FORMER President of Ireland, Mary Robinson, told 250 environmental campaigners, that the G8 summit must take the issue of climate change seriously. She said, ‘We have the opportunity in trying to ensure that the right actions are taken at this G8 summit. It’s important that here at Gleneagles that there’s a recognition that climate change comes about because of the policies of the largest countries and the increase in greenhouse gas emissions. ‘Out of that further steps need to be taken to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.’ However, on the eve of the G8 summit, there are indications that the changes that Global Warming 8 was calling for are unlikely to be met. In an interview with ITV on Monday, President Bush said that he would not sign up to anything that ‘looks like Kyoto’. He warned the Prime Minister, Tony Blair, not to expect his help on climate change in return for Britain’s involvement in the war in Iraq. He said, ‘You know, Tony Blair made decisions on what he thought was best for the people of Great Britain, and I made decisions on what I thought was best for Americans. I really don’t view our relationship as one of quid pro quo.’ Mary Robinson was the keynote speaker at Global Warming 8 in Edinburgh, a meeting of 21 organisations and charities on the eve of the G8 summit. The one-day event was organised by charities including Tearfund and Oxfam, the RSPB and Friends of the Earth. The event’s chairman, Saleemul Huq, Climate Change Director at the International Institute for Environment and Development, said, ‘We believe that if we don’t have action on climate change, then all the work on relieving debt will come to nought as Africa is vulnerable to the effects of climate change. We need action on climate change if we are to achieve our goals of making poverty history.’
His words were echoed by Tearfund partner, the Very Revd Donald Mtetemela, the Archbishop of Tanzania. He said, ‘The West should accept that there is a problem, not just in Africa, but in the world. ‘God has given Western leaders the gift of leadership. But leadership does not belong to the West only. Their leadership is for the whole world. Today the problem is with Africa, but tomorrow it could be with Europe.’ Speakers from Columbia, India, Nigeria, Kenya, Honduras, Zambia and the Philipinnes gathered in Edinburgh today [Tuesday] to raise the issue of global warming before the G8 leaders meet tomorrow in Gleneagles. A recent report entitled Africa: Up in Smoke, released by the coalition of 21 agencies, found that the effects of climate change were felt the most in Africa. This is because 70 per cent of the population depends on subsistence farming. The report recommended that international funds be released to prepare communities in developing countries to cope with the effects of climate change, such as droughts and floods. Today, for every $1 which is spent on preparing for disaster, a further $7 is saved in the cost of clean-up operations. But the report said, that such preparation was ‘seriously under-funded, leaving a huge disaster-relief bill to be paid’. Nonetheless, speakers at Edinburgh’s GW8 appealed for international financial support in tackling climate change. Nnimmo Bassey, a human rights activist from Nigeria, described the international oil companies active in Nigeria as ‘evil’. He added, ‘We call on the G8 governments to adopt true democracy. The G8 needs to think that Africa is not a dumping ground.’ Climate change, as well as aid, trade and debt reduction, is a key issues at the forthcoming G8 summit. For related information, visit our Climate Change pages. Copyright © 2005 International Institute for Environment and Development. |
|
||
|
