UK and Sweden call on EU to fight climate change
By Marit Ruuda
British prime minister Tony Blair and Swedish prime minister Göran Persson urged yesterday their European partners to join them in a commitment to cut carbon dioxide emissions by 60 per cent by 2050. Mr Blair insisted that the targets set by the Kyoto treaty were not radical enough and also challenged US to do its part in the crucial fight.
Mr Blair and Mr Persson sent a joint letter to the Greek Prime Minister, Costas Simitis, presently head of the EU presidency. In it they confirmed their ambitions to reduce emissions in the EU by 60 per cent by 2050, and their commitment to policies that can achieve this goal.
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"It is clear that Kyoto is not radical enough," Mr Blair said in his speech on sustainable development. We will continue to make the case, to the US and to others, that climate change is a serious threat that we must address together as an international community, the British prime minister added.
The international community achieved a lot at the World Summit on Sustainable Development in South Africa last year, Mr Blair said. "But today, I want to argue that we have not yet been nearly bold enough." I am committed to putting us on a path towards that target, he added.
