Environmental groups were disappointed by the vagueness of World leaders commitment to tackling climate change at the G20 summit in London yesterday.
The UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said he was encouraged that the G20 leaders recognized “the inextricable links between addressing the economic crisis and addressing food security and climate change”. However green groups and the wider press criticised the lack of action taken.
Despite a positive response from the financial sector to the announcement of a $1.1 trillion stimulus package by G20 leaders, the move is seen by many environmental campaigners as unlikely to reduce our dependence on a high carbon economy,
Friends of the Earth’s Executive Director Andy Atkins said:
“Once again world leaders have short-changed people and the planet.
“The economic system and the global environment are on a devastating collision course – but despite pledging to build an inclusive, green and sustainable recovery little has been done to change direction.
“The world must seize the huge benefits of investing in green technologies and energy systems – this will slash emissions and create millions of new jobs around the world.
“The financial system must be urgently overhauled to prioritise the urgent need to develop a low-carbon future – and avoid a massive bill to deal with the devastating consequences of unchecked climate change later on.
“The UN climate talks in Copenhagen later this year are crucial. Rich nations must take a lead by rapidly cutting their emissions and pledging new money to the developing world to help them deal with the impacts of global warming.”
Friends of the Earth called on the G20 to change the way the global economy works, lay the foundations for a cleaner, greener future using renewable energy technologies, and stop propping up an economic system addicted to unsustainable growth and dirty fossil fuels.
The criticism comes in the wake of a new study by Michael Hanemann- an economist co-director of the California Climate Change Center. The study summarises 37 climate change studies and concludes that climate change will cost California billions of dollars.
Michael Hanemann said “Although water-starved cities may be able to purchase water from farmers, and high-altitude forests are predicted to benefit for most of the century as trees enjoy the warmer weather, long-term studies seeking to understand the impacts of climate change suggest the costs will be higher than many expected.”
Flooding is expected to cause serious problems with the potential loss of $100 billion from flooding throughout the San Francisco Bay brought about by rising sea levels. The UK floods of summer 2007 are estimated to have already cost the country £2.7 billion (US $4 billion) in damages. The human life cost in countries with large populations living at mean sea level – like Bangladesh will be devastating.
