ECO CENTRE RESPONSE TO G8 SUMMIT

ECO Centre disappointed by G8 Climate Change statements.

The West Wales ECO Centre has issued a statement following the lack of progress in climate change negotiations at the G8 summit in Scotland. The ECO Centre is disappointed by US President George Bush's refusal to accept climate change is an urgent problem. The final communiqué, watered down to accommodate U.S. objections, states: 'Uncertainty remains in our understanding of climate change, but we know enough to put ourselves on a path to slow down and, as science justifies, reduce the growth of greenhouse gases'.

Tony Blair promised to make climate change a major issue at the summit. He has failed to achieve any useful results in spite of his close relationship with George Bush. The US administration repeated in Scotland the same tactics it has used at all climate change conferences during the past 5 years. They have made minor vague concessions without a timetable or firm greenhouse gas reduction targets. Other countries claim a breakthrough, but nothing much changes.

 Jake Hollyfield, Director of the ECO Centre said, 'This causes particular concern, as the science of climate change is now well enough understood to say categorically that business as usual threatens the very survival of our species. Measurements of carbon dioxide in ice cores spanning hundreds of thousands of years show that carbon dioxide levels are now at their highest levels since human life evolved on earth. According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, they are set to increase by at least a further 50% as the best-case scenario with a low emissions future.

'Sir John Houghton, former head of the UK Meteorological Office and the UK's most respected climate scientist gave a clear indication of what is in store when he spoke in Newport, Pembrokeshire on 20th May 2005. Sir John said we could expect hot summers at temperatures similar to the heat wave that caused 20,000 excess deaths and £6 billion damage to agricultural crops in France during August 2003 to be happening almost every year by 2050. Those temperatures will be regarded as a cool summer in Western Europe by 2100'

 Pete West, Project Manager at the ECO Centre added, 'The economic and social consequences of droughts, rising sea levels, flooding and hurricanes are guaranteed to get much worse since the carbon dioxide we have already emitted stays in the atmosphere for 100 years before being naturally re-absorbed.

'Many scientists believe the next decade will be critical to meet Kyoto CO2 reduction targets, but Kyoto itself is only a start. It is a sad indictment that the world's greatest CO2 emitter, the world's leading superpower, the world's most affluent nation cannot show leadership in protecting our climate and environment.'

If you want to do something to help combat the causes of climate change, phone the West Wales ECO Centre on 0800 512012 for free and impartial energy advice.

ENDS  

Picture attached. Sir John Houghton (right) speaking to Jake Hollyfield (left) in Newport May 20th 2005. Bob Cherryman from the Energy Saving Trust is in the middle.