For those interested, please find below some information relating to the
Climate Change Summit (or COP6) to be held in The Hague, Netherlands
November 11 - 24th, 2000.

**************PLEASE FORWARD WIDELY********************************


1. CLIMATE CHANGE
2. WHAT CAN BE DONE ?
3. "COP6"
4. ACTIONS
5. LINKS/CONTACTS


1. CLIMATE CHANGE

>From Corporate Watch UK:

* Mountain glaciers are retreating all over the world. At present rates
of warming, by 2040 the Himalayan glaciers will be so reduced that they
will be unable to feed the Indus, Ganges, Brahmaputra and Yellow rivers
- leaving nearly half the world's population without the water they need
for irrigation and drinking.
* Global temperatures are climbing steadily. The 1990s were the warmest
decade, and the 1900s the warmest century during the last 1000
years. In addition, 1999 will have been the 21st consecutive year with
above-average global surface temperatures.
* Life in the oceans is under threat. All the world's major coral reefs
are now suffering from bleaching due to increasing water
temperatures. Salmon and cod stocks have crashed in the Pacific and
Atlantic for the same reason.
* Massive areas of rainforest in Amazonia and southeast Asia have
already burned. Fires are getting worse as temperatures rise and the
forest dries out. The combined assaults of logging and climate change
are likely to wipe out all the world's tropical forests within 30 years.
* Climate change is a problem of global justice. The majority of the
world's greenhouse gases were emitted by the rich yet the first to feel
the impacts will be the world's poor, as they are more dependent on
natural systems and cannot pay for technology to adapt to climate
change. It is estimated that by 2020 ecological problems will have
created over 20 million 'environmental refugees'.

2. WHAT CAN BE DONE ?

>From People and Planet (UK based student campaigning group):

In order to stabilise climate change two things need to happen:

Firstly, rich, industrilaised countries must accept the need for larger
greenhouse gas reductions in the future. They must take the lead in
cutting greenhouse gas emissions because they have much higher emissions
than poor, developing countries. Even Britain, which leads the world
with it's commitment to a 20% cut by 2010, emits 6 times its fair share
of greenhouse gases.

Secondly, we need a fair and equitable agreement that puts permanent
limits of the amount of greenhouse gases ALL countries can emit. The
Kyoto Protocol does not currently require developing countries to cut
their emissions, bacause the overriding priority for these poor
countries must be to alleviate poverty. Industrialised countries have
more than exceeded their fair share of fossil fuel consumption, on the
back of which lies their wealth. A fair agreement will allow developing
countries a substantial increase in emissions, before stabilising their
emissions later, in order to develop.

To achieve a global agreement, first a "safe limit" to total atmospheric
greenhouse gas emissions must be set. An equitable agreement will share
this quota between countries on the basis of their populations. Each
person on earth will then have an equal right to emit greenhouse
gases. A gradual transition towards the target can the be calculated,
which allows developing countries a substantial increase, before
stabilising their emissions later, while industrialising countries start
working on the cuts immediately. This approach is known as the
contraction and convergence model of the Global Commons Institute.

The climate system is owned by no one but needed by everyone. It is
being destroyed by the pollution of a minority for which the majority,
now and in the future, will suffer. Any climate change solution must
start from the point that everyone, rich and poor, has an equal right to
the atmosphere. A lasting global agreement will be impossible unless it
is founded on equality.

3. "COP6"

>From Corporate Watch UK:

"COP6 is supposed to take forward climate change agreements made at
Kyoto in 1997. It is likely to be dominated by attempts, driven by the
'energy' corporations, to continue 'business as usual' without
addressing the real issues - the need to reduce greenhouse gas
emissions, end our reliance on fossil fuels, and build links with
communities in the South already facing consequences of Northern
lifestyles. Governments are unable to take the decisions, corporate
lobbyists are interested"


4. ACTIONS

Come to the Hague!

People and Planet are organising a trip to the Hague from 17th - 20th
November for only twenty five quid! (includes travel and accomodation):

"People and Planet will be joining up with US student network Ozone
Action, Greenpeace, Rising Tide and Friends of the Earth groups from all
over Europe. Highlights will include;
* A mass protest by over 5,000 people around the Climate Change Summit
conference centre, probable involving building a sand bag 'dike' around
the building.
* Massive Climate Justice alternative conference with speakers from all
over the world.
* Climate carnival with street theatre, music and dance.
* Joint 'Save the Ales' party with 200 student camapigners from the USA"

contact [log in to unmask]

Cimate Voice Campaign (supported by WWF, Friends of the Earth,
Greenpeace and others);

"Tell world leaders to use November's Climate Summit to reduce the
pollution that causes global warming;

* send a webcard to world leaders

* Become a Climate Voice ambassador;
- spread the word about climate voice
- tell your friends about climate voice and get them to send a message
to world leaders
- if you're at school, tell your teachers about it and start your own
"class action"
- if you are at work then tell colleagues or maybe you can use the
company's internal mail to alert them to Climate Voice
- download a Climate Voice banner and post it to your website or send it
to your friends\
- download a petition form in PDF format and go door-to-door in your
neighbourhood collecting signatures

www.climatevoice.org



5. LINKS/CONTACTS

[log in to unmask]

Climate Voice
www.climatevoice.org

People and Planet
www.peopleandplanet.org/climatechange

Climate Action Network
www.climatenetwork.org

Corporate Watch UK
www.corporatewatch.org

Corporate Watch US
www.corpwatch.org/climate

Global Commons Institute
www.gci.org.uk

Sustainable Energy and Economy Network
www.seen.org




%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%