walrus on iceflow
Update: 17th July , 2001
The big news at the conference today was Japanese Environment Minister Kawaguchi's press conference where she confirmed that Japan was here to negotiate seriously, and had a mandate to come to an agreement. We also understand that Japanese press is reporting the Prime Minister Koizumi has withdrawn his statements from over the weekend about no agreement in Bonn. It is clear that Japan is responding to public and political pressure from around the world. Unfortunately, inside the negotiations, they're backtracking and appear to be trying to wreck the negotiations - we'll keep you updated.
Our intrepid team in Genoa is still blocking the Exxon tanker from unloading it's cargo - this was an excellent backdrop to our release of a report on our Corporate 100 work, trying to get American corporations to come clean on where they stand on climate change. Read the Greenpeace report.
Our American students staged a demonstration outside a reception last night, with George W. Bush and Dick Cheney in dinosaur costume receiving large wads of cash from Mr. Phil. T. Rich from Exxon. It provoked largely smiles and messages of support from arriving delegates - although the Americans and Japanese did their best to look the other way...
A couple of the regular fixtures from these negotiations over the years are here at the conference now. Notorious and nefarious Don Perlman, known as 'The High Priest of the Carbon Club' is here, and yesterday American science sceptic Fred Singer arrived at our press conference which he tried unsuccessfully to disrupt. Fortunately, the science sceptics have had their day, and nobody takes them very seriously any more. Unfortunately, Japan, Canada and Australia appear to be carrying water for the United States, who up until now have been quite restrained - we'll see if they keep it up.
Steve Sawyer- Greenpeace International
