Baltic environmentalists to help save climate treaty in The Hague

TALLINN - Seventy-four environmental activists from the Baltic states started their long journey to The Hague, the Netherlands to join the action to save the intergovernmental climate change negotiations at the sixth conference of parties to the UN Framework Convention of Climate Change The young activistsÊfrom 10 environmental organizations will join some 5,000 activists from all over Europe protesting against attempts to weaken the Kyoto protocol.

In The Hague the governmental delegations are to come up with detailed mechanisms for implementation of the 5.2 percentÊgreenhouse gas reduction target agreed upon at the Kyoto climate negotiations in 1997. Although the Kyoto agreements are not enough to effectively stop climate change, there are signs that industrialized countries lead by the United States are trying to push for "flexible mechanisms" to avoid needed environmental investments to implement the Kyoto protocol.

In order to bring the warning message about rising sea levels caused by global warming to delegates at the climate conference as well as the public, Friends of the Earth Europe is mobilizing around 5,000 people to build a 1.5 meter-high dike of sandbags around the conference center. To help dike-builders, a bus from the Baltic states was arranged by Friends of the Earth member groups from the Baltic states.

"It is terrifying to see the remaining ignorance of world leaders toward environmental problems," said Peep Mardiste, coordinator of Friends of the Earth Estonia. "Such ignorance may end up in catastrophic consequences for millions of people, the environment and national economies as well." The Baltic team is due to return from The Hague action on November 22.