European Leaders lack both the vision and the political will to get a deal for the climate in Copenhagen, Greenpeace warned today.
Commenting on the climate deal agreed in Brussels, Robin Oakley, Greenpeace UK climate campaigner, said:
"If Europe's leaders can't even bring themselves to rule out new coal plants and accept the emissions targets the science is demanding, you have to say they shouldn't have bothered going to Brussels. Frankly our climate and our children's future would have been safer if they'd never got on their planes and gone to this meeting. We can't beat climate change with weak targets and new coal, whatever Brown and Merkel and the rest of them may choose to believe."
Joris den Blanken, Greenpeace EU campaigner, said:
"At the same time as Al Gore cheered protests against coal-fired power stations, EU leaders went ahead and agreed a deal which could see big coal giants like RWE and E.ON build new ones on state aid in countries like the UK and Germany."
He added: "European leaders have today shown insufficient political will to get a deal in Copenhagen."
The last two days have seen concrete proposals on emissions targets and cuts from developing countries, who continued to show leadership, especially from South Africa, Mexico, Brazil and South Korea. [1]
"We are seeing more leadership from developing countries here in Poznan than from any developed nation. Greenpeace urges international leaders to engage globally - or we will simply not get a deal by the end of next year," said den Blanken.
EU Governments had put political acceptability ahead of environmental acceptability, bowing to pressure from big business.
"Instead of acting to stop climate change, EU leaders are subsidising it," he continued.
The EU package would means about two thirds of EU emissions would be covered by credits obtained from projects outside the EU.
The EU member states and the European Parliament have 99 days to get their act together. Before Copenhagen the EU must commit to strong support for developing countries and deeper domestic reduction cuts, whether it is inside - or outside - the package.
Greenpeace contacts in Poznan:
Cindy Baxter +48 798 626771
Beth Herzfeld +48 798 626809
Michael Crocker +48 798 626817
Greg McNevin, (photo/video) +48 696 719 392
Notes
[1] for example, Brazil announce a 70 per cent reduction in deforestation by 2017; Mexico announced a 50 per cent cut in emissions by 2050.
