Greenpeace urges ministers to change climate deal

European governments were split in the first week of the talks as Greenpeace urged them not to maintain the biggest loophole of international agreement, Kyoto Protocol – the preservation of the excess emissions rights, or ‘hot air’, which allows governments to trade their way out of real climate action.

Martin Kaiser, climate campaigner, Greenpeace, said: “The prospect of catastrophic climate change needs to change the mindsets of political leaders.”

He added: “Ministers coming to Doha must make a choice now about whether they have the courage to defend people from the impacts of climate change, or whether they will pander to Brussels politics. If Europe makes the wrong call here, it will lose the trust of the rest of the world.”

Greenpeace is insisting that a second commitment period of the Kyoto Protocol, the only legally binding cap of GHG emissions, be agreed on in Doha and that it does not carry over the ‘hot air’ excess emissions rights.

The organisation is also urging ministers to increase climate finance so countries can adapt to climate change and make the transistion to a low carbon economy.