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WWF - Climate Change Campaign


Japan Emerges As Major Block To Climate Change Agreement

sunset August 7th, 1997

Bonn, Germany- WWF condemned negotiators at the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) Thursday, for achieving virtually no progress towards reaching agreement on combatting climate change after two weeks of meetings in Bonn.

JAPAN
WWF believes that Japan's ability to effectively host December's "climate summit" in Kyoto is now in doubt. WWF is dismayed at the failure of Japan to offer ANY proposals for reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Even more alarming has been Japan's attack this week on the European Union which has presented the most progressive and achievable proposal for industrialized countries to reduce their emissions by 2005. "Empty barrels make the most noise. Japan should comme up with a proposal of its own before criticising other countries that have presented serious proposals," said Yurika Ayukawa, WWF-Japan. "Instead, they are stalling the negotiations and diverting attention away from their inaction by attacking the European Union."

UNITED STATES
The Clinton Administration has finally accepted that climate change is already threatening and will continue to threaten the environment and national economies. However, WWF is appalled that after two years of negotiations, the US--the world's largest emitter of greenhouse gases--still has no concrete proposal for reducing emissions.

"President Clinton may have vowed to take action during his international speech at the Earth Summit in June, but you would never know it by observing the intransigence of the US this week in Bonn," said Dr. Merylyn McKenzie-Hedger, WWF Climate Change Policy Director. "Is this yet another example of the Clinton Administration saying one thing but doing another?"

EUROPEAN UNION
WWF applaud's the EU's leadership role in the negotiations, but criticises the EU for not adequately explaining how it would monitor and enforce emission reductions by its Member States.

"Despite the EU's relatively progressive role, its proposal for reducing emissions is much less than is needed to protect the world's climate," said Andrew Kerr, European Co-ordinator of WWF's Climate Change Campaign. "The WWF study, Policies and Measures to Reduce CO2 Emissions by Efficiency and Renewables shows the EU could reduce its carbon dioxide emissions 14% below 1990 levels by 2005."

The EU is calling for industrialized countries to reduce their greenhouse gas emission by 7.5% by 2005 from 1990 levels, and by 15% by 2010.

For more information contact the following spokespersons in Bonn:
Yurika Ayukawa, mobile phone: +49 171 694 1334
Marylyn McKenzie-Hedger, mobile phone: +44 468 867 274
Andrew Kerr, mobile phone: +49 171 694 1346

In Geneva:
Elizabeth Foley, +41 22 364 9554

WWF is known as World Wildlife Fund in Canada and the United States of America