"PUTIN STILL HAS DOUBTS ABOUT THE SCIENCE OF CLIMATE CHANGE"

[CSPP Note:  One has to wonder if Leipold really believes these facile statements.  Was there never in the course of human events political tension, war, debt, and or air pollution before now?  Are these to all magically disappear with the elimination of hydrocarbon energy, nuclear power and modern civilization?  Does he seriously believe the entire present and future world economies (electricity and transportation) can be powered on wind and solar?  Due to world-wide meteorological, land-use, financial, techological and environmental limitations on possible wind and solar energy sources, war over “the wind or the sun” is precisely what would occur.  And what were the primary energy sources before the modern era?  Draft animals, firewood, human toil and massive human slavery.  (see Wind Farms Provide Negligible Useful Electricity at

“http://ff.org/centers/csspp/pdf/20060331_wind.pdf) ]

Greenpeace, 4 July 2006
 HYPERLINK "http://www.greenpeace.org/international/press/releases/ngo-leaders-take-it-to-putin" \t "linkWin" http://www.greenpeace.org/international/press/releases/ngo-leaders-take-it-to-putin

Moscow, Russian Federation - Energy security requires an energy revolution to save the climate was the message that Greenpeace took to Russian Federation President Vladimir Putin at a meeting with international NGO leaders at the Novo-Ogarevo presidential residence outside of Moscow today. The meeting was in preparation for the upcoming summit of the G-8 heads of state and government to be held in St. Petersburg starting on 15 July.

"President Putin seems to still have doubts about the science of climate change, leaving him and President Bush as the only major world leaders who still have these doubts. But he agrees that there is a need to act, and he reaffirmed his commitment to the Kyoto Protocol," said Greenpeace International Executive Director Gerd Leipold at the conclusion of this evening's meeting.

Greenpeace believes that climate change is the greatest threat to humanity and human civilization, and the unsustainable production and use of energy from fossil fuels is its primary cause. Decisive action in the next decade or two is critical to avoid the worst disruption of the climate system. Respect for the natural limits of our planet must become the primary driver for energy strategies at all levels.

"We are at an historic crossroads," said Leipold. "In the next two decades we will choose either the path of fossil fuels and nuclear power, climate chaos and war; or we will begin the shift to a truly sustainable energy system, equitably shared by all peoples. No one ever went to war over the wind or the sun."

"We call on the G-8 to lead this transformation, starting with recognition of the need for action, and concrete steps to decrease our reliance on the global trade in fossil and nuclear fuels which create political tension, war, the risk of nuclear proliferation, debt and corruption as well as air pollution and climate change," Leipold continued. ....