Green MEP Calls for Climate Change 'Revolution'
30 June 2005
WORLD leaders gathering in Gleneagles next week must embrace a 'climate change revolution' and slash military spending if they hope to make real progress on tackling extreme poverty in Africa, according to Euro-MP Caroline Lucas.
The South-East England MEP and Green Party principal speaker will make her comments during an alternative G8 counter-summit at venues around Edinburgh next Sunday (July 3rd ).
"Tony Blair has promised to make tackling climate change and extreme poverty in Africa his two priorities during his presidency of the G8," she will say at the 'G8 Corporate dream... Global Nightmare' conference.
"But if he is to have any success he will have to accept - and persuade George Bush and other G8 leaders to accept - that these challenges are simply different sides of the same coin.
"Both extreme poverty in the developing world and runaway greenhouse gas emissions which are fuelling climate change - which Tony Blair has himself describes as 'the greatest threat we face' - are inevitable consequences of the G8 countries' relentless pursuit of ever freer international trade and economic globalisation.
"If the G8 leaders are serious about tackling these problems they will have to accept that social and environmental protection require stepping back from the goal of forcing open ever-more developing markets to unfettered free trade - and replacing their goal of increased economic growth with the pursuit of increased economic, social and environmental security."
Dr Lucas will join a roll-call of green and progressive thinkers - including George Monbiot, Trevor Ngwame, Walden Bello and 'The Yes Men' - at the conference, which has been organized by the World Development Movement, Friends of the Earth, War on Want and People & Planet.
She will address the conference on 'Challenging Climate Change' and promote efforts by Green Members of the Scottish Parliament to win support for a Climate Change Bill.
Greens today (June 29^th ) launched a consultation with their MSP colleagues about the proposed Bill, which would make Scottish Ministers legally responsible for setting emission reduction targets and delivering changes in policy across areas that include transport, housing, education and agriculture.
"In the lead up to G8, the Scottish Parliament is being encouraged to set an example to the rest of the world and be part of the climate change solution, rather than part of the problem. I hope that MSPs show they have more courage and a greater sense of responsibility than the G8 leaders who, it is rumored, have already watered down the action they plan to take."
Dr Lucas will then join a panel discussion on 'Militarism and Nuclearism' with CND chair Kate Hudson.
"Ever freer international trade will not tackle extreme poverty or climate change - we must 'tame the beast' of economic globalisation and allow poorer nations to do what the US and EU have always done: to intervene in their foreign trade to set their own priorities," added Dr Lucas.
"The challenge facing the G8 leaders is to set binding targets for reducing emissions reductions and to slash military expenditure, which is diverting funds from development aid."
ENDS
For more information please contact Cath Miller on 020 7407 6281 or George Baxter on 07909 933074./
From Green Party press office, 020 7561 0282.Published and promoted by Matt Wootton for the Green Party, both at 1a Waterlow Road, London N19 5NJ
