ID :
89701
Sun, 11/15/2009 - 09:51
Auther :
Shortlink :
https://www.oananews.org//node/89701
The shortlink copeid
Conservation groups urge APEC leaders not to confront climate with money
SINGAPORE, Nov. 14 Kyodo -
As leaders of 21 economies in Asia and the Pacific kick off their summit in the
city-state Saturday afternoon, international conservation groups are calling on
the heads of states and governments not to confront climate with money.
Greenpeace has specifically launched an urgent call on U.S. President Barack
Obama to take action as his administration continues to block progress ahead of
the U.N. climate change conference in Copenhagen next month.
''Obama: you can stop this,'' read a banner, unfurled by a group of 50
activists of Greenpeace International in a freshly destroyed area of rainforest
in Kampar Peninsula in Indonesia's Riau Province on Thursday.
Conservationists have accused Asia-Pacific Resources International Holding Ltd.
or APRIL, one of Indonesia's biggest pulp and paper producers, of clearing the
rainforest to make pulp and paper for international customers, including
Helsinki-based UPM-Kymmene Corp., the world's largest magazine papermaker.
Friday, a day after the protest, UPM terminated its purchasing contract from
APRIL, admitting APRIL's pulp ''comes from a very delicate environment.''
The protest was expected to continue until next month, but it was immediately
halted by police.
Police also detained 32 activists. Eleven of them were international
conservationists from Brazil, Finland, Germany the Philippines, Spain and
Thailand. They were released Friday evening, but the foreigners were sent to
the local immigration office for deportation.
Greenpeace urged Obama to take strong leadership and work closely with other
leaders to help avert a climate crisis by ending global deforestation, which is
responsible for about a fifth of global greenhouse emissions.
According to the nongovernmental conservation organization, it is vital for
Obama and other world leaders to ''agree to an ambitious, fair and effective
deal that includes ending the destruction of the world's rain forests.''
Separately, in Singapore, the environmental group WWF urged APEC leaders late
Friday to commit to strong and ambitious climate actions if they want to
achieve sustainable growth for their region and help their countries to avoid
disastrous consequences of global warming.
''Solving problems of protectionism, trade zones, banks and exchange rates are
very important, but what is all of this worth if the world slips into chaos
because of devastating climate change,'' Kim Carstensen, WWF Global Climate
Initiative leader, said.
According to Carstensen, APEC leaders want their region to be a free trade
zone, but they should also exploit its potential as a clean tech zone.
During their two-day summit in Singapore, APEC leaders are expected to agree on
a significant reduction in global emissions below 1990 levels by 2050.
In his trip to Tokyo on Friday, Obama and Japanese Prime Yukio Hatoyama
reaffirmed that they will aspire to cut their emissions by 80 percent by 2050
and support efforts by ''the poor and most vulnerable'' nations to combat
climate change.
Industrialized nations are calling for emissions-cut commitments by the
fast-growing major developing nations, which are seeking significant reduction
targets by developed countries as well as financial and technical support to
help them mitigate and adapt to climate change.
Greenpeace estimates that ending global deforestation will require
industrialized countries to invest $42 billion annually in forest protection,
less than the United States gave to individual banks during the financial
crisis last year.
Over a million hectares of forest, mostly tropical rainforest, are destroyed
every month, an area of forest the size of a football pitch every two seconds.
Rainforest and peatland destruction in Indonesia emits huge quantities of
carbon dioxide and has driven it to become the world's third-largest climate
polluter after China and the United States.
''Indonesia is climate change's 'ground zero.' Stopping forest destruction here
and around the globe is not only one of the quickest and most cost effective
ways to combat climate change but is essential in order to avert runaway
climate change in our lifetime,'' Greenpeace Southeast Asia campaigner Bustar
Maitar said.
==Kyodo
As leaders of 21 economies in Asia and the Pacific kick off their summit in the
city-state Saturday afternoon, international conservation groups are calling on
the heads of states and governments not to confront climate with money.
Greenpeace has specifically launched an urgent call on U.S. President Barack
Obama to take action as his administration continues to block progress ahead of
the U.N. climate change conference in Copenhagen next month.
''Obama: you can stop this,'' read a banner, unfurled by a group of 50
activists of Greenpeace International in a freshly destroyed area of rainforest
in Kampar Peninsula in Indonesia's Riau Province on Thursday.
Conservationists have accused Asia-Pacific Resources International Holding Ltd.
or APRIL, one of Indonesia's biggest pulp and paper producers, of clearing the
rainforest to make pulp and paper for international customers, including
Helsinki-based UPM-Kymmene Corp., the world's largest magazine papermaker.
Friday, a day after the protest, UPM terminated its purchasing contract from
APRIL, admitting APRIL's pulp ''comes from a very delicate environment.''
The protest was expected to continue until next month, but it was immediately
halted by police.
Police also detained 32 activists. Eleven of them were international
conservationists from Brazil, Finland, Germany the Philippines, Spain and
Thailand. They were released Friday evening, but the foreigners were sent to
the local immigration office for deportation.
Greenpeace urged Obama to take strong leadership and work closely with other
leaders to help avert a climate crisis by ending global deforestation, which is
responsible for about a fifth of global greenhouse emissions.
According to the nongovernmental conservation organization, it is vital for
Obama and other world leaders to ''agree to an ambitious, fair and effective
deal that includes ending the destruction of the world's rain forests.''
Separately, in Singapore, the environmental group WWF urged APEC leaders late
Friday to commit to strong and ambitious climate actions if they want to
achieve sustainable growth for their region and help their countries to avoid
disastrous consequences of global warming.
''Solving problems of protectionism, trade zones, banks and exchange rates are
very important, but what is all of this worth if the world slips into chaos
because of devastating climate change,'' Kim Carstensen, WWF Global Climate
Initiative leader, said.
According to Carstensen, APEC leaders want their region to be a free trade
zone, but they should also exploit its potential as a clean tech zone.
During their two-day summit in Singapore, APEC leaders are expected to agree on
a significant reduction in global emissions below 1990 levels by 2050.
In his trip to Tokyo on Friday, Obama and Japanese Prime Yukio Hatoyama
reaffirmed that they will aspire to cut their emissions by 80 percent by 2050
and support efforts by ''the poor and most vulnerable'' nations to combat
climate change.
Industrialized nations are calling for emissions-cut commitments by the
fast-growing major developing nations, which are seeking significant reduction
targets by developed countries as well as financial and technical support to
help them mitigate and adapt to climate change.
Greenpeace estimates that ending global deforestation will require
industrialized countries to invest $42 billion annually in forest protection,
less than the United States gave to individual banks during the financial
crisis last year.
Over a million hectares of forest, mostly tropical rainforest, are destroyed
every month, an area of forest the size of a football pitch every two seconds.
Rainforest and peatland destruction in Indonesia emits huge quantities of
carbon dioxide and has driven it to become the world's third-largest climate
polluter after China and the United States.
''Indonesia is climate change's 'ground zero.' Stopping forest destruction here
and around the globe is not only one of the quickest and most cost effective
ways to combat climate change but is essential in order to avert runaway
climate change in our lifetime,'' Greenpeace Southeast Asia campaigner Bustar
Maitar said.
==Kyodo
