04.05.2007
EUROPEAN GREENS RESPOND TO LATEST IPCC
REPORT: COMBATTING CLIMATE CHANGE IS NECESSARY, POSSIBLE AND COST-EFFECTIVE:
Nuclear power is a threat to the World’s
security, not a solution to Climate Change.
The Spokespersons of the EGP today reacted to “Mitigation of
Climate Change", the third volume of the Intergovernmental Panel on
Climate Change (IPCC) Fourth Assessment Report, published in
IPCC Working
groups I and II, which published reports earlier this year, were extremely
clear about the magnitude of the problem. Working group II C said a two-degree
temperature rise could subject up to two billion people to water shortages and
threaten 20 to 30 per cent of the Earth's species with extinction.
This latest IPCC report focuses on mitigation of climate change through
limiting or preventing greenhouse gas emissions and enhancing activities that
remove them from the atmosphere.
Responding to the report, EGP
Co-spokesperson ULRIKE
LUNACEK said
“Much of this latest IPCC report focuses on the financial cost of
changing the global energy system so that much greater use of cleaner sources
of energy is made. Of course these changes will cost a lot of money but this
report makes it perfectly clear that these changes are affordable. And what we
must not forget is that the cost of doing nothing would be much greater, in
economic, environmental, and human terms. The IPCC has been using much of the
same literature used by Sir Nicholas Stern and his team whose report published
in October 2006 showed that the cost of inaction could be as high as 5 to 20%
of global consumption. Meaningful action against Climate change would restrain
economic growth by a mere fraction of that .So combating climate change is the
cost-effective option.”
EGP Co-Spokesperson PHILIPPE LAMBERTS continued “One of the most
exciting things about this latest IPCC report is that the Panel showed there
are many practical measures that governments, industry and individuals can take
to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. These include making much greater use of
renewable energy sources such as solar, wind and geothermal power and investing
much more in public transport. We
Both Spokespersons concluded by calling on
political leaders, in the EU and beyond, to take the practical measures which
are not only necessary to fight climate change, but also, as this latest IPCC
report shows very clearly, make economic sense.
“We have the scientific evidence of
the gravity of the problem and we have the solutions. What we urgently need now
is the political will of Governments to take the action required to prevent
disastrous climate change. Unfortunately though, Governments too often fail to
grasp the urgent need to act. An example of this was provided just this week at
the EU-US summit in
Graham Burgess
Communications Officer
European Green Party
Tel no: 0032 (0)2 626 0720
Email : graham.burgess@europeangreens.org