G8 heads of state around the summit table.
Deal brokered
Traditionally, this sort of thing is smoothed over beforehand.
However, this time governments kept fighting publicly until this
afternoon. In the end, the divisions got smoothed over with a thin
spackle of rhetoric. Most likely the politicians feel quite
satisfied at having avoided a public disagreement. But the
differences remain obvious for all to see. The final document
agreed by the G8 also contains a promise that all leaders will
"seriously consider" the binding emission cuts the EU and almost
all G8 members have committed to. In other words, Bush will watch,
while the rest of the world, hopefully, acts.
The deal is "clearly not enough to prevent dangerous climate
change" said Daniel Mittler, climate policy advisor of Greenpeace
International at the summit. "Governments failed to commit to what
science tells us is necessary here. They must now urgently do so at
the United Nations."
What these leaders, of the world's wealthiest nations, fail to
take into account is that reducing CO2 emissions by 50 percent,
compared to 1990 levels, by 2050 is not a negotiable diplomatic
point - it is a physical reality. And, as we've already learned
from the last 15 years, voluntary measures simply don't work.
Politics aside, the G8 are responsible for over 80 percent of
the climate change we witness today, and still emit over 40 percent
of all global emissions. They are therefore morally bound to act
first and act firmly.
Silver lining in a cloudy sky
The isolation of the US on climate change was at least further
exposed through this whole process - leaving the Bush
Administration scrambling for diversionary tactics.
Today's document also confirms that the United Nations Framework
Convention on Climate Change is the best way forward, which sets
back Bush's plan for a US controlled parallel process. This means,
that the road is clear for real negotiations on binding emission
cuts to start in earnest at the next climate meeting in Bali in
December this year.
Though as Greenpeace UK director John Sauven pointed out,
"Scientists tell us we need to slash emissions over the next decade
if we're to have a chance of preventing dangerous climate change.
This document acknowledges the seriousness of the situation then
ducks reality by offering weasel words like 'seriously
considering', as if this was an after dinner discussion rather than
the most important issue facing the world."
Into the exclusion zone
Tens of thousands of people have been peacefully protesting
these past days, both at Heiligendamm and at an alternative summit
- trying to get the message through to the G8 that the time to act
is now.
Yesterday, German police pre-emptively boarded our ship, the
Arctic Sunrise - even though it was well outside the summit's
exclusion zone. The police came on without a search warrant and
confined the 24 crew before seizing Greenpeace equipment including
engines from inflatables, making the boats unusable, and the hull
of a Greenpeace hot air balloon.
This morning, 24 Greenpeace activists, using 11 speedboats took
the message "G8: Act Now!" to the waters around the beachfront
summit hotel. They entered the outer restricted area at 11am,
informing the police as they did so. They came in from both east
and west sides, entering into the inner restricted zone 10 minutes
later.
Police boats ran over some of the Greenpeace boats - injuring
six activists and sending several to the hospital. Fortunately, no
one suffered more than severe bruising. The activists were trying
to deliver a petition calling for clear commitments on climate
change.
At last report, the boats and 19 activists were in police
custody.
The next major UN Climate Conference will be in Bali, Indonesia,
December 2007. Governments there must commit to the reductions that
science requires, to stop catastrophic climate change.
-- More updates and
background on our G8 page --
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