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Archived press release

 


Brown may attend Copenhagen talks

21 September 2009

News that "Gordon Brown has announced that he is prepared to go to Copenhagen to clinch a deal" has been welcomed by Friends of the Earth - but the campaign group urged the Prime Minister to take urgent action ahead of the UN climate summit to help secure a fair agreement.

Friends of the Earth's Executive Director Andy Atkins said:

"Gordon Brown's announcement is a positive development and shows that he recognises the importance of this summit - but he must show bold international leadership ahead of Copenhagen to make a strong and fair agreement more likely. 

"The UK Government must stop promoting carbon offsetting as a solution. It must also push for the world's richest countries, including Britain, to cut their emissions by at least 40 per cent by 2020, and provide sufficient funds to poorer nations to enable them to grow cleanly and adapt to the impacts of global warming.  

 "Gordon Brown could play a historic role in the fight against catastrophic climate change, and help the UK reap the huge economic benefits of going green - but Government policy will have to change in critical areas."

Notes

1. The announcement was flagged up on Ed Milibands twitter site:  http://www.edspledge.com/gordon-brown-copenhagen

2. In advance of the talks, Friends of the Earth is calling for:

  • The Government to abandon its promotion of carbon offsetting and pledge to cut emissions by at least 42% by 2020 at home;
  • New money for developing countries, distributed through the UN, so that they can develop cleanly and adapt to the effects of climate change which are already putting millions of lives at risk. Measures to tackle aviation growth could make a significant contribution to this.
  • No inclusion of rainforests in carbon markets, so that rich countries cannot buy up large tracts of land to offset their emissions.

The green campaign group is asking everyone to sign its international petition to world leaders at    http://www.foe.co.uk/climatetalks/petition.html

If you are a journalist seeking press information please contact the Friends of the Earth media team on 020 7566 1649.

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