Greenpeace to Japan: "Do the right thing, please!"

Greenpeace today called on Japan to distance itself from the US position on climate change by clearly indicated that it would ratify the Kyoto Protocol.

With less than three weeks to go before crucial climate talks resume in the Hague, government representatives are conducting high-level 'informal' preparatory negotiations at a Dutch seaside resort near The Hague.

Greenpeace Climate Campaigner Stephanie Tunmore said

"The spotlight is now on Japan as the next country to lay its cards on the table. Japan has a very important global responsibility to rise to the occasion and must compromise to reach agreement with the Europeans in advance of Bonn. It is no longer acceptable for Japan to represent the US position."

Public and political opinion in Japan are strongly in favour of ratification, but the government is afraid of the political fallout with their largest trading partner, the US, if they agree to ratify regardless of what the US does.

Tunmore added

"The climate cannot wait for Bush. If the US administration is not going to participate constructively in these negotiations, then they should stay at home and not get in the way of responsible governments who wish to respond to the public, political and scientific call for immediate action to protect the climate."

Notes to Editors:
The delegates at today's meeting are considering the proposal put forward last week by COP6 Chair Jan Pronk of the Netherlands. Greenpeace has performed a quantitative analysis of the Pronk proposal.