"We will look back on today as the moment in history when
humanity faced up to its responsibility. The fossil-fuel powered
industrial revolution of the 20th century has had a calamitous
impact on our planet. We must work for a clean energy revolution of
equal magnitude in the 21st century," said Greenpeace climate
policy advisor Steve Sawyer.
Greenpeace welcomed the inevitable entry into force of the Kyoto
Protocol, but following more than a century of loading the
atmosphere with polluting greenhouse gasses, acknowledged that the
emissions reductions in the treaty were only a start.
"We'll toast the Duma with vodka tonight, but on Monday morning
we need to roll up our sleeves and get down to the real work. We
must build on the Kyoto Protocol, and seek agreement for the much
deeper emissions reductions required to put us on a path towards a
real solution to the threat of dangerous climate change," said
Sawyer. "Climate change is already upon us; it's like a tidal wave
forming out at sea, but if we act decisively we can substantially
reduce the number of people killed and displaced, animal and plant
species lost, habitats wiped out, and wars between nations over
oil," he said.
To avoid the worst threats of climate change, we need to bring
global emissions back to 1990 levels by about 2020 and then reduce
them by 50% by mid-century. Reductions of at least 30% on 1990
levels (the 'baseline' year for the Kyoto Protocol) by 2020 from
industrialized countries are required, with a target of at least
75% reductions by mid-century. (see Greenpeace Briefing - How much
climate change can we bear?
http://www.greenpeace.org/howmuchclimatechange/)
Bringing the US back into the global climate protection effort
is the next major hurdle. "This is a major defeat for President
Bush and his paymasters in the fossil fuel industry. His
administration and other climate criminals like Exxon-Mobil have
failed in their attempt to wreck Kyoto, even going so far as to
suppress the work of their own scientists," said Sawyer.
Fortunately, US state governments and key congressional figures are
beginning to respond to the public demand for action on climate
change, and the US business community is beginning to wake up to
the opportunities and challenges of creating a low-carbon
economy.
(see Greenpeace Briefing - Kyoto, the USA and business
http://www.greenpeace.org/kyotousandbusiness/)
"Now that we have the Kyoto Protocol in place, the only question
which remains is whether politicians can act faster than the
climate can change," said Sawyer.
VVPR info: Photos and video of climate change impacts and industrial pollution available.Photo - Laura Lombardi +31646162009Video - Maarten van Rouveroy +31646197322
Notes: Greenpeace Briefing - Kyoto, the USA and business http://www.greenpeace.org/kyotousandbusiness/Greenpeace Briefing - How much climate change can we bear? http://www.greenpeace.org/howmuchclimatechange/