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30 Oct 2000
Recent wild weather is just a taste of things to come if scientists' forecasts about climate change come true, said Friends of the Earth today.
The recent events show the need for deep cuts in the use of coal, oil and gas. And they show the need for high fuel prices to give incentives to use clean technology.
FOE's extreme weather events briefing [1] shows Britain's wild weather has been matched right across the world in the last three months. It lists storms in Taiwan, Brazil and Canada,floods in Bangladesh, Japan, Vietnam and India, fires in the US, Italy and the Balkans and droughts in Burundi, Croatia, Kenya and Iran.
Roger Higman, Senior Climate Campaigner of Friends of the Earth said:
“Dangerous climate change is already happening. The storms and floods we are now seeing will get more frequent and more severe. We desperately need cuts in the use of coal, oil and gas to prevent the worst forecasts coming true. That means the Government must stick to a fuel price policy that discourages unnecessary use of cars”.
In two weeks time, world leaders will meet in the Hague, Netherlands for the most important climate summit since Kyoto in 1997 [2].
Wednesday sees the publication of a major report on climate change: “The Assessment of Potential Effects and Adaptations for Climate Change in Europe”, by Professor Martin Parry and Dr. Mike Hulme, both of the University of East Anglia, and Dr Jorgen Olesen, of the Danish National Agricultural Institute.
NOTES TO EDITORS:
[1] See www.foeeurope.org/dike/extremes.htm
[2] See www.foeeurope.org/dike/why.htm
Contact details:
Friends of the Earth
26-28 Underwood St.
LONDON
N1 7JQ
Tel: 020 7490 1555
Fax: 020 7490 0881
Web: www.foe.co.uk/feedback.html
Media team
