SCIENTISTS URGE G8 TO CUT GREENHOUSE GAS EMISSIONS

SCIENTISTS URGE G8
TO TAKE 'STRONG' ACTION ON CLIMATE CHANGE

L'AQUILA, Italy, July 7 (AFP) - International scientists on Tuesday urged the leaders of the world's biggest polluters meeting this week at the Group of Eight summit to cut their greenhouse gas emissions. The 27-strong group of Australian, European, Indian, Japanese and US scientists wrote an open letter calling on the leaders to ensure that global greenhouse gas emissions reach peak levels "by no later than 2020."

Intervening on the eve of the G8 summit in L'Aquila, central Italy, the group also said leaders should commit to cutting emissions "by at least 50 percent relative to 1990 levels by 2050." The scientists warned that "warming exceeding two degrees Celsius predicted for later this century would create great risks and have irreversible consequences." The scientists said developed countries should make the deepest cuts in greenhouse gas emissions, "at least 80 percent relative to 1990 by 2050 with appropriate intermediate targets set in time for Copenhagen." They said that developing countries should commit "by Copenhagen to significant gains in energy efficiency, reductions in carbon intensity, and cuts in non-CO2 greenhouse gas emissions over the next two decades."

G8 leaders are to discuss climate change among other subjects on Thursday at the summit with their counterparts from other major economies such as China, Brazil, India, Indonesia, Mexico, South Africa and South Korea. While G8 countries generate 40 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions, the broader group accounts for 80 percent of the total.

WHAT DO THE VEDIC TEACHINGS TELL US?

In the Kali-yuga the population is just a royal edition of the animals. They have nothing to do with spiritual knowledge or godly religious life. They are so blind that they cannot see anything beyond the jurisdiction of the subtle mind, intelligence or ego, but they are very much proud of their advancement in knowledge, science and material prosperity.

Srila A.C. BV Swami Prabhupada:
"The Srimad Bhagavatam - Purport in Canto 1 - Chapter 3 - Verse 43"

Even at the present time, as we travel all over the world, we see that in some countries human beings have many material facilities but no facilities for spiritual advancement. We find everywhere the defects of one-sided facilities and a lack of full facilities. A blind man can walk but not see, and a lame man cannot walk but can see. Andha-pańgu-nyāya. The blind man may take the lame man over his shoulder, and as he walks the lame man may give him directions. Thus combined they may work, but individually neither the blind man nor the lame man can walk successfully. Similarly, this human form of life is meant for the advancement of spiritual life and for keeping the material necessities in order.
Especially in the Western countries there are ample facilities for material comforts, but no one has any idea of spiritual advancement. Many are hankering after spiritual advancement, but many cheaters come, take advantage of their money, bluff them and go away. Fortunately the Krishna consciousness movement is there to give all facilities for both material and spiritual advancement. In this way people in the Western countries may take advantage of this movement.

Srila A.C. BV Swami Prabhupada:
"The Srimad Bhagavatam - Purport in Canto 4 - Chapter 25 - Verse 13"