POZNAN, POLAND, December 11, 2008 – European environment ministers

arriving at crucial climate negotiations in Poland will receive today (11

December) messages sent by over a thousand young people urging them to

'wrap up' climate change.

Ministers from countries including Poland, the Netherlands, the United

Kingdom, Norway and Germany will be presented with messages from young

people from over 30 countries. The messages collected by Young Friends of

the Earth Europe urge politicians to take urgent and drastic action to

secure the future of their generation from the worst impacts of global

warming.

Bette Harms from Young Friends of the Earth Europe said: "We believe it

is urgent to take serious action on climate change and want our

governments not to disappoint us, but to inspire us by taking the lead in

these negotiations - we as youth, contrary to many parties here, have no

vested interest in these negotiations other than our future."

So far the EU has dramatically failed to show leadership at the UN talks

which are a milestone to an agreement in Copenhagen next year. Ministers

arriving for the final two days of the meeting must provide some much

needed ambition to agree on the second phase of the Kyoto Protocol by the

end of 2009.

Only by agreeing strong domestic action, in the form of drastic emission

cuts, can the EU really claim to be a leader internationally. But new

legislation due to be agreed by Heads of State this week is nowhere near

ambitious enough and will allow two thirds of emissions reductions to be

achieved through the purchase of ‘offset credits’ from developing

countries.

Antje von Broock, climate campaigner for Friends of the Earth Germany

(BUND) said: "The European Union is causing a standstill – it's trying

to play down the importance of these talks and by doing so it is

playing with people’s lives. Europe can only be a genuine leader if it

commits to at least 40 per cent emissions cuts in Europe by 2020 and to

repay its climate debts by helping developing countries."

*****

FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT in Poznan, Poland:

Bette Harms of Young Friends of the Earth Europe at:

bette.harms@gmail.comantje.vonbroock@bund.net, Tel. 0049 173 6071601

Tel: 0031 644 788583

Antje von Broock, climate campaigner for Friends of the Earth
Germany/BUND, 

Francesca Gater, Communications Officer for Friends of the Earth,

francesca.gater@foeeurope.org, Tel: 0032 485 930515

*****

NOTES:

1) Names of Ministers attending the event:

Jacqueline Cramer – the Netherlands;

Ed Miliband – United Kingdom;

Sigmar Gabriel – Germany;

Maciej Nowicki – Poland;

Erik Solheim –Norway.

Others to be confirmed.

Also attending: Jean Pascal van Ypersele – Intergovernmental Panel on

Climate Change.

2) Young Friends of the Earth Europe is a grassroots network that brings

together young people and youth organisations from all over Europe to

work together on pressing environmental issues such as climate change in

a European context. It aims to give politicians, businesses and the

general public a refreshing youth perspective on environmental issues.

Fotos of FOEI Poznan Climate meeting here: Flickr link 

See Also: The Big Ask: Climate change, &am