NO TIME TO WASTE!

4 March 2001

Trieste, Italy - Greenpeace today welcomed the result of the G8 environment ministers' three day meeting in Trieste to resume talks to tackle global climate change as probably the best that could be done at this stage, until the new USA administration's position is clear.

The meeting resulted in a communique which signals a welcome agreement of the large industrialised countries to resume climate change negotiations in earnest, but did not set a clear timetable for ratification of the Kyoto Protocol. The main feature of the meeting was the first appearance of the new US administration - EPA administrator Christine Whitman - at an inter-governmental meeting on climate change.

Greenpeace Climate Campaign spokesperson Steve Sawyer said, "Mrs. Whitman's statements are a dramatic improvement over Bush's campaign rhetoric, and we welcome the active role that she is taking in shaping the new administration's position on the urgent global threat of climate change. She seems to have made an open and honest presentation of the US situation, and it gives some signs of hope. But the proof will come when the position is finally made clear, which needs to be soon; definitely prior to the pre-COP6 sessions in New York in April."

"From here, it seems that the rest of the G8 has given the clear signal that while they are willing to wait for the Bush administration to get up to speed on the issue, they are not willing to wait very long. If the US backs away from Kyoto, they are going to be doing it alone. The rest of the world cannot wait. But an agreement which includes the US is much better than one that does not."

"We see this as a small, but positive step; putting last November's difficult climate talks in The Hague behind us and moving forward. But we must reserve judgement until the Bush administration declares itself," said Sawyer.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION PLEASE CONTACT:

In Trieste:
- Steve Sawyer mob phone: +31 653504715
In Brussels:
- Michel Raquet mob phone: +32 496 163365
In Amsterdam:
- Susan Cavanagh mob phone: +31 621296910

www.greenpeace.org

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