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June 6, 2007
G8 protesters clash with police amid row over climate change
Roger Boyes and the Clown Army
Police used water cannons to disperse groups of protesters trying to storm the opening day of the G8 summit today as world leaders arrived at the northern German resort hosting the three-day meeting.
Even before the summit formally got under way, a top US official dealt a blow to German hopes of securing a binding deal on carbon emission cuts by saying that all countries - including fast-growing developing nations such as China, India or Brazil - would have to be involved in any such accord.
The issue was discussed at a lunchtime meeting today between Angela Merkel and President Bush. But although though Mr Bush told the German Chancellor that he had come with a "strong desire to work with you on a post-Kyoto agreement", there was no suggestion that he would reverse his position on binding emission targets.
While ‘framework’ is hardly an inspiring word, it could prove to be a crucial one for the G8 on climate change
Tens of thousands of anti-globalisation protesters tried to disrupt the summit, blocking off roads around the luxury hotel in the Baltic resort of Heiligendamm where the G8 leaders are staying.
As many as 10,000 demonstrators managed to swarm a 12-kilometre fence around the summit venue and police used water cannons to scatter stone-throwing militants.
Thousands of other protesters blocked roads leading from the airport in the northern city of Rostock to the summit venue 60 km away, although the G8 leaders - including Tony Blair representing Britain at his final G8 summit - were flown directly to Heiligendamm.
Instead, the protesters, including a bizarre 'clown army', targeted support staff and the 4,000 journalists accredited to cover the summit, cutting off a steam train link between the media centre and summit hotel.
Combating climate change is the number one objective set by Ms Merkel, who has staked Germany's G8 presidency on persuading her counterparts to agree to limit the global temperature rise to 2C (3.6F). She also wants a deal to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 50 percent compared with 1990 levels by 2050.
But Jim Connaughton, chairman of the White House-run US Council on Environmental Quality, said today that the United States could not agree to long-term targets being fixed because all nations have to be involved in any accord, including fast-growing developing nations.
"We’ve not sat down with China, India, Brazil, Mexico, South Africa," said Mr Connaughton.
"We have not sat down with Australia, South Korea and a number of the other major emitting countries on this issue and so until we’ve got everyone in the room and until we have consensus among all of them you won’t see a collectively stated goal on that yet but it’s coming."
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I've always wondered why should so much money be wasted on all sorts of summits, especially taking into consideration how little use comes out of these very meetinngs. No questions solved, just an expensive roadshow.
Pam, St.Petersburg, Russia
Mike:
I thought you people on the far left (including members of the European left), are ardent proponents of multilateralism and object to America "going it alone" or otherwise showing leadership. Where is all the hand-wringing for "dialogue," consensus," and other "feel-good" language of cooperation that you and your ilk usually love to use?
Shouldn't we reach consensus with China, India, and Brazil before going ahead on our own? We wouldn't want the rest of the world accusing us of being "cowboys" would we? Let's be responsible and reach consensus on this issue, and abjure the old ways of American unilateralism. After all, how could our conduct be deemed legitimate unless the Russians, French, Chinese, and Germans all agreed? If we just dialogue enough with all of our friends and the rest (all of whom are countries of good will), I'm sure as reasonable people we can all agree to universal constraints on global emissions.
david french, ann arbor, michigan
I'm sorry, have I missed something? Stone throwing militants? I thought this article was about people protesting the G8, not a war. Also, it never fails to amaze me that developing countries ignore the fact that if the environment is destroyed, their economic gains will be worthless. Of course, I'm also always amazed the west will not do anything meaningful about climate change either.
Kipling, Auckland, New Zealand
Why bother with water canons to disperse these idiots? Can the police not find a decent collection of wasps nests to shake up and lob into their midst?
Nick, Rotherham,
It's time people took the lead -boycott American goods and services.
Jonathan, Auckland, New Zealand
It's time that they got the plastic bullets out and gave a proper and measured response to these people who think they have a right to cause injury and destruction to those who won't march to their unwashed tune.
Chris Jackson, London,
this is a big problem. The Bush Administration has not even mentioned global warming until recently, despite many people adressing theproblem, along with congress. Though it saddens me, i seriously doubt that we will be able to curb C02 emissions the necessary amounts in then next 50 years, let alone 8. BUT, many companies are stepping up to the plate, and leading hte way. Honda, Toyota, Subaru, Ford, GM, are all working to produce more fuel efficient, and less polluting cars. New technologies to burn coal, there is a coal powerplant near here, just over the border in New Hampshire that burns coal... IT is one of the cleanest burning coal plants in the USA. I think that hydro-electric, Natural Gas, and especially Nuclear power, is necessary to help contain this problem.
Nicholas Rudolph, Kittery, Maine, United States
While the US should take the lead on climate change issues, the G8 is not the place for it and the the idea that all nations should adhere to the same targets is stupid and naive. Emissions targets should be set by the individual nations involved as each has their own economic and development issues that need to be taken into account.
Chris, Atlanta, GA, USA
Why?
Why, in the 21st century, do they have to meet in person at a single location? Video-conferencing has been around for decades The don't need to move from their offices to talk together.
Why do they insist on giving the professional protesters an annual platform?
Why do they blithely squander millions of taxpayers' hard-earned money on their own jamboree and that of the professional protesters - every year?
Why should the presence of those like Blair and Bush cause such immense disruption and upset to the lives of the taxpaying citizens of places as wonderful as Rome, Berlin, Edinburgh, Paris - ahm! don't they ever go to places like Backpool or Bognor Regis?
Why, well, just why?
Bill McCann, Suzhou, China
I mean are you serious? We are supoposed to be the world leader, let us step forward and make change for the rest to follow. America is going to shambles and this adminstration has done irreversable damage. I can not wait for Bush to be gone from office.
mike albert, Bradenton, florida