World Heritage sites threatened by Bush's ignorance on Climate Change

Paris, France — "Ignore the Bush Administration's apparent reckless intent to ravage the planet," says Greenpeace today as experts attend an urgently convened meeting on World Heritage and climate change. Greenpeace called on the experts to ignore a challenge from the Administration and continue with its deliberations and subsequent recommendations on protecting listed sites from the dangers posed by climate change.

Today's meeting in Paris follows the decision to hold an investigation, which was agreed at a meeting of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) last year after petitioning by campaigners and lawyers. However a recent submission from the United States suggests that it is an inappropriate discussion for World Heritage and warns that if the Committee addresses the issue of global climate change it risks 'losing the unified spirit and camaraderie that has become synonymous with World Heritage.1'

"The United States has a history of trying to stifle the climate change debate in any and all fora and that's exactly what it is trying to do here," said Laetitia de Marez, Greenpeace France Climate & Energy Campaigner. "It also once again deploys the defunct argument that there is not enough evidence to prove that climate change is caused by humans, therefore there is no proof that humans can do anything about it under the World Heritage Convention."

"There is no doubt that many are being damaged by climate change to the extent that they may eventually lose the characteristics that made them Heritage sites in the first place," said De Marez. "In the Glacier National Park, for instance, only 27 glaciers remain out of 150 and those are rapidly melting".

"It is completely appropriate for World Heritage to discuss this issue and we hope that the meeting will recommend that State Parties should take responsibility for reducing greenhouse gas emissions as part of its strategy for protecting and preserving heritage sites around the world," concluded De Marez. The World Heritage Committee will discuss the report by the expert working group in July, 2006.

World Heritage Committee- Lista światowego dziedzictwa kulturowego i przyrodniczego UNESCO

ravage- pustoszyć, wyniszczać

convene- zwoływać

deliberation- rozwaga, rozważanie, obrada

submission- uległość, pokora

camaraderie- koleżeństwo

synonymous- równoznaczny

stifle- zdusić, dławić, przytłumiać

deploy- rozmieszczać, rozlokowywać, rozpowszechniać

defunct- martwy, (tu: nieaktualny)

glaciers- lodowiec

greenhouse gas emissions- emisja gazów cieplarnianych

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