He further went on to say that even if the Kyoto agreement was fully implemented, "it falls significantly short of what we will need over the next half century if we are to tackle this problem seriously and properly." He also correctly affirms the cost of not acting is, "so overwhelmingly greater than any short term cost of action that we have to act and we have to act now."
Greens have been warning the Government that climate change is the most serious environmental challenge facing humankind. Darren Johnson, Green Party Mayoral Candidate and Leader of the Greens on the London Assembly said, "The political and corporate response to this problem has been grossly inadequate. If the Prime Minister believes the situation is very, very critical, then he should take advice from the Greens. He should tax aviation fuel, stop the road-building programmes and airport expansion schemes, implement a carbon tax and invest massively in renewable energy technologies."
Aubrey Mayer, Director of the Global Commons Institute has applauded the Green Party for supporting Contraction and Convergence, a system whereby contraction gradually reduces the planet’s CO2 emissions to a sustainable annual amount. Convergence ensures that all countries’ emissions converge over time to a position where entitlement to emit is proportion to population.
Darren Johnson continued, "Government says one thing to climate change experts and another to global corporations. If the Government was serious about climate change, it would endorse our Air Traffic Emissions Reduction Bill introduced by Green Party Peer. Lord Beaumont. It would also take on board the Green Party energy policy which has been described by journalists and scientists as ‘the only sane energy policy’."
The Climate Debt and Development Coalition have asked European candidates to sign the following pledge. To date, not one Labour candidate has singed the climate pledge.
"I pledge to call on European Commission to act on climate change.
"The threat posed by climate change cannot be overstated. The accumulating greenhouse gases, mainly from the lifestyles presently enjoyed in the affluent world, are way beyond the planet’s capacity to support them. Serious damage is already occurring.
"Contraction and Convergence, the comprehensive, science-based framework devised by the Global Commons Institute, seems to me to be the only well-developed strategy for responding adequately to the crisis. It carries both moral justification and the political prospect of broad intergovernmental agreement. If elected to the European Parliament, I will therefore support a resolution calling on the European Commission and Council of Ministers to take the lead in international negotiations for the urgent adoption of the Contraction and Convergence framework and for the early introduction of equal per capita annual carbon emissions rights."
Greens are committed to contraction and convergence under their manifesto for Europe 2004…
Chris Cotton, Green Party Euro candidate for London said, "I strongly support the pledge, and would go as far as saying it’s the most important pledge of those I’ve signed so far."
Ends
NOTES TO EDITORS
· Darren Johnson is 38 and was selected as the Green Party’s candidate for Mayor of London in May 2003. He was elected to the London Assembly in May 2000 where he is Leader of the Green Party Group. He was also elected to Lewisham Council in May 2002.
· The Mayoral election will be held on June 10th at the same time as the elections for the London Assembly and the European Parliament. At the last Assembly elections the Greens scored one of their best ever results in the Party’s history, securing 11.1% of the vote across London and winning three seats on the 25-member Assembly.
· Darren Johnson’s vision for a sustainable Green London can be found on his website www.johnsonformayor.org.uk
· Jean Lambert is London’s Green Member of the European Parliament and she is No 1 on the list for the London Green Party. Her website is www.jeanlambertmep.org.uk
· Green Party Assembly Members are Cllr. Darren Johnson AM, Deputy Mayor Jenny Jones AM and Noel Lynch AM
· Biographies for all candidates are available from London Press Officer, Penny Kemp 07711 760692 or penny.kemp@virgin.net
· Published and promoted by Chris Cotton on behalf of London Green Party both at 1a Waterlow Road, London N19 5NJ
· Printed by Penny Kemp, Press Officer on behalf of London Green Party at 1a Waterlow Rd, London N19 5NJ
Further information, interviews:
Penny Kemp 07711 760692
ENDS