Green groups urge G8 leaders to ignore Bush not the climate

Press release from Greenpeace UK
Gleneagles, UK, 6 July 2005 - As the G8 summit gets underway in Scotland, environment and development groups are urging Prime Minister Tony Blair and other world leaders to stand up to President Bush and agree a clear way forward for climate protection.
The US is the only G8 country not to have ratified the Kyoto Protocol and the Bush administration has already tried to weaken early drafts of the G8 communiqu� objecting to language that includes statements that the world is warming, human activity is mostly to blame and developed economies must lead the fight against the problem.
'This summit provides an opportunity for leaders to reinforce their commitment to fighting climate change and map out a way ahead but there is a real risk that, in the quest for consensus, President Bush will prevail and we will end up with a weak, compromised statement that could set back climate protection by years,' said Stephanie Tunmore of Greenpeace International. 'The rest of the G8 countries should insist on a strong, clear message on climate change, even if the result is a 'split' communique.'
'The US administration must not be allowed to derail international action on climate change,' said Tony Juniper of Friends of the Earth (FoE). 'If we are to halt climate change and deliver climate justice we need action not words. The eyes of the world are upon Gleneagles this week and they want to see moral leadership on cutting emissions and ending poverty. Tony Blair and other world leaders must be prepared to stand up to President Bush on the issue of climate.'
'Tony Blair often talks of the 'special relationship' between the UK and the US. In this case that relationship has clearly let him down. He should cut his losses"