06/07/2005 — Eight men
had a chance to change the world. Unfortunately,
one of those men was George W. Bush. The heads
of government of the major industrial democracies
met to discuss the most serious issues facing
the world as part of the annual "G8"
summit. At the top of this year’s agenda was
climate change. The final communiqué
highlights the divisions between President
Bush and the rest of the world on tackling
global warming.
British Prime Minister Tony Blair served as
president of the G8 meeting in Scotland from
July 6 - July 8. He had been outspoken about
his hope that this meeting would result in
an agreement among the leaders on the scientific
threat posed by global warming and the urgent
need for action.
Bush officials have been hard at work behind
the scenes for months to make sure that didn't
happen. They pushed to weaken key sections
of a proposal for joint action by the nations
to curb climate change. Bush has already succeeded
in embarrassing the United States with his
decision not to ratify the Kyoto Protocol.
It is obvious that President Bush does not
learn from his mistakes.
The final communiqué includes a statement
affirming that the countries that have already
ratified Kyoto would work to make it a success.
The conference also saw a strong statement
from significant developing countries (the
"G5" - Brazil, China, India, Mexico
and South Africa) supporting Kyoto and stating
that a real commitment to share sustainable
energy technology with developing countries
is essential. These 12 countries emphasized
the need for tough targets to reduce CO2 emissions
but Bush remains isolated and alone in his
refusal to act
Miraculously, President Bush acknowledged
that climate change is "a significant,
long-term issue that we've got to deal with."
What are you Waiting for?
Global warming IS in fact a long-term issue,
but we can see its effects today. Kiribati
is a small island nation threatened by sea-level
rise. Koin, a native of the island, describes
how she and her family suffers as a result
of Bush’s inaction:
With a family of only one brother, it is
very difficult to try and protect the coastal
line from the sea waves. During neap tides,
which occur three days in a row every month,
my brother has to stay up all night fighting
against the waves and try to stack together
boulders to protect the house from eroding
away. This is also happening to all our neighbors,
as the government could not afford to protect
the coastal lands where people live.
In my heart, I know that I still want to
live in Kiribati. But I may not be able to,
because of the likelihood of my island disappearing
under water as a result of global warming.
Read Koin’s full story.
Greenpeace in the Arctic
As world leaders argue about global warming
in Scotland, we're actually doing something
about it. Project Thin Ice is in its ninth
week, and our ship, the Arctic Sunrise has
recently arrived in Greenland. For the next
two months, we'll travel along the Greenland
coast and work with prominent research stations,
to investigate and document the latest evidence
of global warming.
Our crewmembers urged President George Bush
to join forces with the other members of the
G8 to help stop global warming by creating
a striking image with charcoal. The picture
depicts a U.S. flag and a polar bear, one
of the species most threatened by climate
change.
We, along with our friends at the Center
for Biological Diversity and the National
Resources Defense Council, formally requested
that the polar bear be classified as a threatened
species and protected under the Endangered
Species Act.
