Saturday, 18 August 2007

APEC 'aspirations' fail to tackle worst polluters.  Greens invite world leaders to see Tasmanian forest destruction.

"Pulp mill proposal cuts right across APEC 'aspiration' – Brown

 
The Greens will invite world leaders coming to Sydney for next month's APEC conference to see the Howard-authorised destruction of Tasmanian and Victorian forests, Greens leader Bob Brown said today.
 
"The leaked APEC leaders' declaration calls for 'avoided deforestation' which means saving natural forests which are, along with the oceans, the world's biggest living carbon banks."
 
"Logging and burning Tasmanian and Victorian native forests is up there amongst the world's worst examples of deliberate deforestation and greenhouse gas pollution of the Earth's atmosphere – the very thing the APEC declaration aims to stop. 
 
"The Gunns' proposed pulp mill, with its attached forest furnace burning 500,000 tonnes of wood per annum, will put out millions of tonnes of greenhouse gases.  Yet there is no indication Malcolm Turnbull will even look at greenhouse gas pollution in assessing the mill's environmental impact.
 
"Prime Minister Howard will be an APEC hypocrite if he calls on other countries to stop burning forests but continues to subsidise and promote it in Australia."
 
"I will invite all APEC delegations to Victoria or Tasmania to see clearfelled coupes where native forests are being destroyed," Senator Brown said.
 
 
For more information:  Emma Belfield  0400 181 748
 
For link to leaked report, see http://www.greenpeace.org/raw/content/australia/resources/reports/
climate-change/leaked-apec-leaders-declarati.pdf