Earth Equity News

At UN and EU Gatherings, Officials Say Banking Crisis Must Not Impede Progress in Reducing Emissions. By Ryan Lucas, AP, October 14, 2008. "Environment ministers agreed Tuesday that the world financial crisis must not halt efforts to combat global warming, a top United Nations climate official said. Officials from the U.S., China, Canada, India, the European Union and more than 30 other countries met for two days of informal talks in Warsaw ahead of a climate conference in December. 'There was a very strong consensus that the current financial turmoil should not be an excuse to slow down action on climate change,' [said] Yvo de Boer, executive secretary for the U.N. Framework Convention on Climate Change... A debate similar to the one in Poland was also under way in the EU before its two-day summit beginning Wednesday. European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso has urged EU leaders to keep their promise to cut greenhouse gas emissions, despite worries that the economic slowdown will make it harder for governments and businesses to shoulder the extra costs. 'Saving the planet does not disappear because of the financial crisis,' Barroso said in Belgium on Tuesday. The 27-nation bloc's year-old deal would reduce emissions by 20 percent by 2020. However, the package faces opposition from a number of members -- including Poland -- who fear it will curb economic growth."