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UN Climate conference, Bali, 3 - 14 December 2007
But soft words don't move governments. Even on a problem as urgent as climate change where the survival of millions of people and countless species of animals and plants is in the balance. Not when trillion-dollar polluting industries and logging companies have highly-paid lobbyists.
So who are the main movers and shakers?
European nations are kind of on side, having agreed to initial cuts in greenhouse gases. But their foolhardy investments in dirty coal and nuclear power means we need to keep on pushing.
Forest destruction causes to up to one-fifth of global greenhouse gas emissions so we've called on Brazilian and Indonesian authorities to tackle this neglected source of climate change. We've highlighted how China is already taking significant steps and could shortly be the world leader in wind power. And we've shown how India can use energy more efficiently.
But the US Administration and the recently-defeated Howard government in Australia have been the chief spoilers. Rejecting the binding targets of the Kyoto climate treaty, the US is desperate to lure nations into the meaningless limbo of "voluntary efforts". We exposed how the Howard government was in bed with the coal industry and we made a noise at President Bush's "big emitters meeting" - part of his effort to derail climate action. We also met UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, and spoke at the UN climate meeting in New York.
In Bali, governments need to stop the political games and focus on one objective: taking real action for the survival of our planet.
Our recent campaign efforts in Australia, Brazil, China, Finland,
France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands,
Poland, Spain, Sweden, the UK and the US - and our cyberactions - are
pressurising governments for solutions to climate change before
December's UN climate conference, in Bali, Indonesia.
So who are the main movers and shakers?
European nations are kind of on side, having agreed to initial cuts in greenhouse gases. But their foolhardy investments in dirty coal and nuclear power means we need to keep on pushing.
Forest destruction causes to up to one-fifth of global greenhouse gas emissions so we've called on Brazilian and Indonesian authorities to tackle this neglected source of climate change. We've highlighted how China is already taking significant steps and could shortly be the world leader in wind power. And we've shown how India can use energy more efficiently.
But the US Administration and the recently-defeated Howard government in Australia have been the chief spoilers. Rejecting the binding targets of the Kyoto climate treaty, the US is desperate to lure nations into the meaningless limbo of "voluntary efforts". We exposed how the Howard government was in bed with the coal industry and we made a noise at President Bush's "big emitters meeting" - part of his effort to derail climate action. We also met UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, and spoke at the UN climate meeting in New York.
In Bali, governments need to stop the political games and focus on one objective: taking real action for the survival of our planet.
