Press release - June 7, 2007
Greenpeace condemned G8 leaders for failing to live up to their historic responsibility for climate change by not agreeing to keep mean temperature rise below 2 degrees compared to pre-industrial levels. The deal is "clearly not enough to prevent dangerous climate change" said Daniel Mittler, climate policy advisor of Greenpeace International.
Greenpeace welcomed that the G8 gave a political mandate for a
start of serious negotiations for the second commitment period of
the Kyoto Protocol to start at the climate negotiations in Bali in
December.
The US isolation in refusing to accept binding emission cuts has
become obvious at this meeting. "The Bush administration have
agreed to "seriously consider" that the rest of the world is
setting reduction targets, but is as far away as from agreeing to
such targets themselves as ever" said Mittler.
Greenpeace reminded the G8 governments that they need to reduce
their emissions by 80-90 percent by 2050 if the world is to avoid
catastrophic climate change. "Governments failed to commit to what
science tells us is necessary here. They must now urgently do so at
the United Nations."
Other contacts: Jo Kuper, Greenpeace International Communications, +31 6 46162039Daniel Mittler, Greenpeace International climate policy expert, +49 171 876 5345
Exp. contact date: 2007-06-16 00:00:00