Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2001-07-04-Speech-3-248"
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"en.20010704.6.3-248"2
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".
Mr President, the applause from all groups for Ms Jackson’s speech shows that in Europe, there is consensus on climate policy. There is obviously some sort of consensus in public opinion in the USA as well, but public opinion in the USA is different from Europe’s. This is why I believe we should not only be talking to one or two parliamentarians or government representatives; the Europeans should actually be thinking how they can influence public opinion in the USA, and indeed in Japan, if the Japanese decide not to go ahead.
The task of managing climate change is so enormous that going it alone will be extremely difficult. That is precisely the issue which arises here. Even if the others do not go ahead, are we prepared to continue the course agreed at Gothenburg, which I support? Making a verbal commitment is easy. Agreeing to take on these burdens is simple and costs nothing. However, translating this into reality will be an immensely difficult task. My fear – I admit this quite openly – is that the Europeans, or many Europeans, will hide behind the US. In truth, we are a long way off meeting the standards set in the Kyoto Protocol. We all know that. The Commission feeds us a never-ending stream of fresh statistics. We face a Herculean task – I just want to make this clear.
Despite these difficulties, however, let me say that for the first time since the Second World War, Europe now has the opportunity to take on political leadership at world level. We should grasp this opportunity with both hands, well aware that this is not a simple task. Incidentally, it is a noble task, not a dirty job, which Europe should address, and if others do not join us until later, we should accept this with good grace.
My third comment relates to the text itself. I cannot stop myself from saying this: I must point out that what we are demanding, namely "halting" climate change, is sheer nonsense, of course. I have no idea how this slipped into the text. There has always been climate change, but this time, we are making our own contribution to it, and that is exactly what this is all about."@en1
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