Blair told: act now on climate

[struggle4progress]

G8 countdown Poll shows public fears on global warming

Julian Glover, John Vidal and Andrew Clark
Tuesday June 21, 2005
The Guardian

Tony Blair will arrive at next month's G8 summit with a powerful mandate from voters to confront George Bush over global warming, according to a Guardian/ICM poll published today.
An overwhelming 83% of voters want the prime minister to challenge the US president on the issue amid record public acceptance that climate change is a reality.

But voters have still to be convinced that they must make personal sacrifices to tackle it. Although 40% of those questioned say existing levels of climate change are a threat and a further 49% believe it will be a threat to future generations, most admit they have done little or nothing to change their behaviour.

Environmental action remains the preserve of a committed minority, with only 26% saying they have done anything substantial beyond recycling rubbish. <snip>

Of those questioned, 86% believe action is the government's responsibility - although a majority think that consumers (73%) and business (70%) must act too. <snip>

http://www.guardian.co.uk/g8/story/0,13365,1511094,00.html?gusrc=rss

[Cha]

1. Rubbing hands together

in anticipation of a blair/bush showdown over our Climate.

Now that the honeymoon is OVER.

[Deja Q]

2. People have been talking of the environemt for over THIRTY YEARS.

Nobody's done jack shit except make babies, get greedier, and use more energy.

Forgive me, my cynicism. But if we couldn't change 30 years ago, or even 24 years ago, what chance in hell do we have now?

Zero.

0

:-(

[Spazito]

3. bush's poodle will tuck his tail between his legs yet again

as he did during his recent visit with bush. After a severely watered-down resolution from the G8, blair will try and sell it as something with substance.

If it is possible, my distain for blair may even be greater than it is for bush.

[baby_bear]

5. Maybe not.

Blair will not run again. He may have good reason (i.e., legacy) to challenge Bush, especially on something so vital to the planet.

Let's face it. If Blair backs down on global warming, he really will be remembered in history as Bush's poodle. He's already got that rep from the Iraq business. I think he may see this as his last chance to salvage his reputation.

And heck, he's got his own country and much of the rest of the developed world behind him. And countries like India and China think the U.S. is totally selfish on this (true).

I'll put my money on Blair at G-8. I sure hope I'm not wrong.

b_b

[Spazito]

6. Unfortunately, blair has already caved, in essence, but he...

isn't alone:

U.S. Pressure Weakens G-8 Climate Plan

Bush administration officials working behind the scenes have succeeded in weakening key sections of a proposal for joint action by the eight major industrialized nations to curb climate change.

Under U.S. pressure, negotiators in the past month have agreed to delete language that would detail how rising temperatures are affecting the globe, set ambitious targets to cut carbon dioxide emissions and set stricter environmental standards for World Bank-funded power projects, according to documents obtained by The Washington Post. Negotiators met this week in London to work out details of the document, which is slated to be adopted next month at the Group of Eight's annual meeting in Scotland.

snip

The wording of the international document, titled "Climate Change, Clean Energy and Sustainable Development," will help determine what, if any, action the G-8 countries will take as a group to combat global warming. Every member nation except the United States has pledged to bring its greenhouse gas emissions down to 1990 levels by 2012 as part of the Kyoto Protocol, an international treaty, and British Prime Minister Tony Blair -- who currently heads the G-8 -- is trying to coax the United States into adopting stricter climate controls.

In preparation for the summit, negotiators are trying to work out the wording of statements on climate change and other issues that leaders of all eight nations are willing to endorse. The language is not final, but the documents show that a number of deletions have been made at U.S. insistence.

more

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/06/16/AR2005061601666.html

[RUMMYisFROSTED]

4. Bark, bark. Mewl, mewl.

End of story.