Churches call for urgent action on global warming

THE Irish Council of Churches (ICC) has added its voice to a growing international consensus that climate change represents "a serious threat to the well being of creation". It has joined many groups, both religious and secular, in calling for urgent action to deal with the problem.

"Even Ireland could be adversely affected. What is already the windiest part of Europe could see increasing damage from storms," the ICC said. And contrary to those who believe global warming might give us a sunnier climate, the council said it was conceivable we could get colder weather if the Gulf Stream alters course.

"There is now a strong scientific consensus that the atmosphere is warming as a result of human activity and that this is likely to have far reaching environmental, social and economic consequences," the ICC declared. Despite these "clear risks", it accused governments of being "slow to act".

In a statement to coincide with the second Conference of the Parties to the UN's Framework Convention on Climate Change, now under way in Geneva, it called on industrialised countries in particular to fulfil promises they made at the Rio Earth Summit in 1992 to limit emissions of greenhouse gases, such as carbon dioxide.

To show solidarity with those most likely to suffer, such as small island states in the Pacific, the ICC wants the Geneva conference to adopt a binding international agreement to achieve reduced emissions after 2000, mainly by switching to renewable energy sources.

The conference is taking place against the background of an assessment report by the UN's Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), made up of world scientists, which concluded that global warming and, thus, the storms, droughts and floods it generates is due to human activity, particularly the burning of fossil fuels.

The IPCC's verdict represents a major setback for the fossil fuel lobby the major oil companies, motor manufacturers and their allies in the oil producing countries. It has been assiduously promoting the view that global warming was greatly exaggerated.

The fossil fuel lobby has already suffered a defeat at the first conference of the parties in Berlin last year. Its final communique said existing commitments to limit emissions of greenhouse gases were "not adequate" and that a new protocol was needed to set "quantified limitation and reduction objectives" beyond 2000.

Though Greenpeace felt the "Berlin Mandate" was too soft, its chief lobbyist, Mr Jeremy Leggett, said at least it included "the R-word" reduction and seemed to commit the industrialised countries, currently responsible for 74 per cent of greenhouse gas emissions, to reduce them "within specified timeframes".

At last month's G7 summit in Lyons, the world's richest industrialised countries referred to global warming as a "threat" and renewed their commitment to "all agreements" reached in Rio. We commit ourselves to strong action and anticipate in 1997 a successful outcome of the Conference of the Parties to the Climate Change Convention."

There is no indication, however, that the G7 group is prepared to accede to demands from the 35 strong Alliance of Small Island States representing countries in the front line of climate change that the industrialised nations should commit themselves to a 20 per cent reduction in carbon dioxide emissions after 2000.

It is already accepted that most industrialised countries are unlikely to achieve the Rio target of containing their carbon dioxide emissions at 1990 levels by the turn of the century. Meanwhile, developing countries are emitting more CO2 than ever, with China's emissions projected to exceed those of the US by 2005.

It is not anticipated that agreement will be reached on a new protocol in Geneva. The Minister for the Environment Mr Howl in, who will be attending the final sessions of the conference this week, believes it should pave the way for agreement on new world targets at a follow up session in Japan later this year.

Nonetheless, he has expressed disappointment that EU environment ministers failed to agree ink Luxembourg last month that the EU should propose a 5 per cent cut in emissions at the Geneva gathering. As the Minister who will present the EU position, he would have liked to have something substantial to offer.