Evergreen Online
The Newsletter of Wirral Green Alliance
Digest Edition
April / May 2002
Evergreen Online The Newsletter of Wirral Green Alliance |
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Digest Edition April / May 2002 |
In this month's online edition: Rainforests. Save or Delete ? UK to Ratify Kyoto Protocol Dealing With Plastics in Ireland |
RAINFORESTS. SAVE OR DELETE ? |
The ancient forests are home to our closest relatives - the great apes, and to two thirds of all land species of plants and animals. Millions of forest people depend upon them for the survival of their way of life. And they play a vital role in the stabilisation of the world's climate. Yet every year, an area of forest the size of Scotland is destroyed, by illegal logging. Soon we will be facing the largest wave of extinctions since the disappearance of the dinosaurs, 65 million years ago. The good news is that they can be saved if we can persuade international governments, including the UK, to act. We need your vote. Save or Delete? Make your choice.
Greenpeace activists in France brand a ship containing logs from West Africa's ancient forest.
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Time is running out. In April, the 189 United Nations governments will meet in The Hague, The Netherlands for The Ancient Forests Summit. They will decide on an eight year plan for the ancient forests. In effect, these governments will be deciding whether to save or delete these ancient forests and the millions of people, plants and animals that the forests support. The UK's vote is crucial. We are currently Europe's biggest importers of illegally logged timber. We are funding the destruction of the remaining ancient forests - 80% of which have already been destroyed. Tony Blair has already said that we can 'trade without deforestation'. But, as yet, our leader has done nothing to turn this promise into action. Greenpeace investigations in the Amazon have led the Brazilian Government to ban the mahogany trade. Since the ban came into place in October 2001, the Brazilian environment agency has seized 30,000 cubic metres of illegally logged timber. At least two shipments of illegally logged mahogany are due to arrive in the UK. Michael Meacher has said that we need to ensure illegally produced timber is not used here. Incredibly, these ships are set to enter the UK unhindered by the Government. Greenpeace is taking legal action over this. Get active, visit www.saveordelete.com Join Greenpeace's Save or Delete campaign. Vote to SAVE the ancient forests. Send a message to Mr Blair and ask him to ban illegally logged timber imports, and to speak out at The Hague. |
UK to Ratify Kyoto Protocol |
In March, the Government announced that it will finally take this major step in avoiding climate change. Margaret Beckett (Environment Secretary) confirmed that the UK will formally ratify the Kyoto Protocol. This is a global pact which legally binds nations to reduce greenhouse gases. Under the protocol, the UK must cut pollution 12.5% below 1990 levels by 2008 – 2012.She told MPs that Jack Straw will sign up to the deal early in April and that the documents along with those of other EU nations will be deposited with the UN by June at the latest. Mrs Beckett stated further that the climate change programme sets out a range of policies that could cut emissions still further by an ambitious 23% by 2010, "well in excess of our Kyoto target and setting us in good stead for further reduction".
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Margaret Beckett and Jack Straw. Saviours of the environment ? FoE climate change campaigner Roger Higman said "This is extremely good news and further evidence that all those nay sayers in the US government who said that Kyoto would not happen have been proved wrong. Kyoto is happening and America will have to come to terms with it and come back into the protocol". Former US vice president Al Gore agreed to the Kyoto protocol in 1997 but President Bush announced last year that the US was abandoning the pact.Mrs Beckett criticised the US for refusing to sign up to the protocol and called upon them to think again. |
Plastics: Not an Irish Joke. |
The Irish Republic is leading the way in discouraging the use of new plastic bags. As from March 2002, shoppers in Eire will be charged a "plastax" of 9p for every new plastic bag in a bold attempt to reduce their growing litter problem.The Republic has previously had a poor environmental record and its famous scenic countryside is being increasingly disfigured by wind borne plastic waste. Annually, 1.2 billion free plastic bags have been given to Irish shoppers. This equates to roughly 14,000 tonnes of plastic or 325 bags per person (almost one per day). Each bag can also take up to 20 years to decompose.
A plastic carrier bag. Soon to become an endangered species in Ireland The Republic’s Department of the Environment says that the tax is the first of its kind. It will be payable in all retail outlets and will be itemised on receipts. Tesco Ireland which has previously given out 220 million free plastic bags per year has estimated that the initiative could lead to a reduction of over 40 per cent in the first year. A marked change in customer behaviour has already been noted with an increase in sales of reusable bags. |
