Press release - 24 September, 2007
Speaking at the first high-level meeting on climate change at the United Nations, the Campaigns Director of Greenpeace China, Sze Ping Lo, challenged world leaders to strengthen the Kyoto Protocol, the one global agreement to combat climate change.
"Sober scientists and economists are raising alarm bells that
can be ignored only at great peril to us all. The Kyoto Protocol is
the only way we can deliver real action on climate change.
Governments must not be diverted by more rhetoric and posturing
such as the upcoming 'Major Emitters Meeting' in Washington.
Kyoto: just do it," he told the meeting.
Greenpeace is calling for Governments to agree a "Bali Mandate"
at the Kyoto meeting in Bali in December. It must address the
urgency of climate change through
· drastic cuts in emissions by industrialized countries;
· creating new market mechanisms to bring developing country
action on climate change into the Kyoto system;
· a fund to deliver an energy revolution based on renewable
energy and energy efficiency, and
· a reduction in carbon emissions through the elimination of
deforestation.
· The criteria also include payment for the impacts of climate
change that no longer can be avoided, especially in the developing
world (1).
The work in Bali must be "Not a road map, not a wish list, but a
clear mandate to a strengthened second phase of the Kyoto Protocol
by 2009," said Lo.
Lo also challenged the view that China was not acting on climate
change. "To be clear, China is acting as we have already
established significant renewable energy and energy efficiency
targets. However, we must end our dependency on coal for the
production of energy and harness our capacity to develop wind and
solar power to address climate change through profitable
alternatives."
China has the capacity to develop 118GW of wind power and 25GW
of photovoltaic solar power by 2020. According to the Global Energy
Scenario released by Greenpeace International earlier this year,
investing in a renewable electricity and energy efficiency future
will save 180 billion USD annually, while cutting CO2 emissions in
half by 2030. This analysis can be found at: www.energyblueprint.info
"We have all the technology we need to start the job of
preventing dangerous climate change - now," added Lo. "Governments
must just get on with the work."