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Friends of the Earth International *
Greenpeace * WWF * ANPED * Climate Action
Network * European Environment Bureau
Environment groups urge oecd
ministers to show leadership
Paris and Brussels, April
19
- Rich countries are failing to
meet their responsibilities for the global
environmental problems, OECD Environment
Ministers will be told when they meet with
the heads of environmental groups in Paris
today Monday 19th April.
And in a joint statement, international
green groups [1] call on members of the
Organisation for Economic Co-operation and
Development (OECD) not to negotiate with the
current United States administration on
alternatives to the Kyoto Protocol.
OECD member countries already face
criticism from the OECD itself for failing to
meet the targets set in the OECD's
Environmental Strategy. The OECD's head of
environment, Lorents Lorentsen urged member
countries to opt for more ambitious policies
in a review of progress issued earlier this
month [2].
In their statement, the environment groups
call on OECD countries to show world
leadership by taking prompt action to tackle
climate change and to affirm their commitment
to the Kyoto Protocol. Rich nations are
responsible for the largest proportion of
global warming gas emissions, but it is the
poorer nations who will suffer the
consequences, the statement points out.
Joint signatories, Friends of the Earth,
Greenpeace, WWF, ANPED, Climate Action
Network and the European Environment Bureau
specifically urge OECD countries to:
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Affirm or reaffirm their commitment to
the Kyoto Protocol, and not negotiate with
the current United States administration on
alternatives;
-
Recognise the environmental need for
absolute reductions in resource use;
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Define the top 20 resources most
threatened by unsustainable use, and
develop quantitative targets to achieve
sustainability
-
Insist that shifting resource use to
other countries is not a sustainable way of
dealing with environmental pressures on
resources at home;
-
Integrate environmental and related
social justice considerations into all
government policies and activities related
to external affairs, trade and
investment;
-
Reduce environmental impacts to
sustainable levels, while providing a
decent quality of life for all people in
the world;
-
Strengthen the United Nations
Environment Programme to improve the
capacity for co-ordinating and implementing
environmental agreementsand
principles;
-
Reject the use of the WTO by OECD
countries, particularly the US , as a
threat to “chill” the development of
environmental legislation and policies.
Friends of the Earth International Vice
Chair, Tony Juniper said:
"The rich nations have grudgingly accepted
the particular role they must play in
tackling the pressing environmental problems
now facing our planet. But considering the
wealth and power of these countries, their
performance is truly lamentable. These
country leaders need to start taking their
own environmental speeches seriously and to
show some real political commitment. Tony
Blair and George Bush are prepared to risk
their political careers on a controversial
war, but do not stick their necks out to
conserve resources or limit pollution. A
first basic step would be entry into force of
the Kyoto Protocol - and George Bush could
announce his intention to make that happen
today."
John Hontelez, Secretary General of the
European Environmental Bureau said:
"Decoupling economic growth from
environmental pressure has become part of the
vocabulary of the OECD's political leaders.
But we need to go from words to action: all
rich countries must embark on a consistent
policy composed of legislation and financial
instruments to achieve drastic reductions of
resource use of our societies. The OECD
should lead by setting clear reduction
targets for the short and medium term, such
as Factor 4 and Factor 10".
CONTACTS:
Friends of the Earth Press Office, London
: +44-20-7566 1649
NOTES FOR EDITORS:
[1] The Contribution of Environmental
Citizens Organisations to the first
assessment of the implementation of the
Organisation for economic co-operation and
development (OECD) Environmental Strategy for
the First Decade of the 21st Century is
available from the press office at Friends of
the Earth. +44-20-7566 1649 or
media@foe.co.uk
[2]
www.oecd.org/home
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