Disaster Looms as Climate Talks End

["greenbase" <greenbas@gb.greenpeace.org>]

DISASTER LOOMS AS CLIMATE TALKS ENDS

BONN,  March 6, 1997 -  Greenpeace today said this week's climate 
talks in Bonn were a disaster. 

"Failure lies ahead unless there is a breakthrough in the next round 
of climate negotiations leading up to Kyoto," said Bill Hare Climate 
Policy Director Greenpeace Internationa

"This week's climate negotiations in Bonn were expected to get on 
with the job of agreeing cuts in greenhouse gases which have to be 
adopted in December at the Kyoto climate summit, in Japa

"However governments all week rearranged pieces of paper and did not 
agree to cut fossil fuel emissions which is essential to prevent 
dangerous climate change," said Hare,  one day before the offic

l end of the Bonn talks.

Greenpeace believes that agreement on critical cuts in carbon dioxide 
and other greenhouse gas emissions is being blocked by oil, gas, coal 
and car industry lobbyists at the climate negotiation
"Behind the rhetoric governments are clearly supporting the delaying 
tactics of these industries,"said Hare in summing up a nine year 
proces

As early as 1988 governments had called for a 20 per cent reduction 
by the year 2005,  after an international meeting in Toronto, Canada. 
 Nearly a decade later the most progressive proposal, 
dra
 by the European Union,  calls for up to a 15 per cent reduction by 
the 2010.

Hare,  who has followed the process since 1988, said if there was to 
be any chance of success governments had to come back with a real 
political commitment to act rather than tal

"The USA, Japan, and the European Union must come back to Bonn in 
July prepared to support the alliance of small Island States (AOSIS) 
proposal to reduce emissions by 20 per cent by 2005 from 1990 
vels."

In December 1995, a group of  2, 500 of the world's leading 
scientists, released a landmark report which found that humans are 
altering the world's climate. They concluded that if no action is  
t
 to reduce greenhouse gas emissions there will be "significant loss 
of life".
"The balance of evidence suggests a discernible human influence on 
global climate" ... "Climate change is likely to have wide ranging 
and mostly adverse effect on human health, with significant los
of life."  The United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate 
Change (IPCC) Second Assessment Report

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT GREENPEACE INTERNATIONAL CLIMATE 
POLICY DIRECTOR BILL HARE (mobile) 00-31-6-534 33454 OR KIRSTY 
HAMILTON 31-(mobile) 653 128908 YASUKO MATSUMOTO GREENPEACE PEACE 
(
le) 49-177 231 5205 OR PRESS OFFICER HOLGER ROENITZ ON (mobile) 
31-6-534 17945 
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