WWF - Rio Text "Colossal Failure Of Leadership" Greenpeace - "Epic Failure", "Polluters' Charter"

WWF Director General Jim Leape today issued the following statement on the negotiating text released this morning by Brazil:

“Despite a late night negotiating session, the revised text is a colossal failure of leadership and vision from diplomats. They should be embarrassed at their inability to find common ground on such a crucial issue.

“Now it’s up to world leaders to get serious about sustainable development and save this process. If they approve what’s on the table now without significant changes, they’ve doomed Rio+20 to ridicule.

“While some weak words have been removed, diplomats have swapped them with toothless language. This includes tongue twisters like ‘commit to the progressive realization’ and several promises to ‘recognize’ problems and solutions.

“They’ve added some positive actions around oceans protection. But, the text has lots of words that ‘commit’ parties to nothing – such as ‘commit to promote’ and ‘commit to systematically consider.’”

“Two years and one late night of negotiations later, diplomats in Rio are letting the world down.

“We’re hoping that doesn’t happen for all the hard work that’s been leading up to this moment, and more importantly for the health of the people and the planet.

“World leaders ‘recognized’ problems 20 years ago, and they’ve done little about them since. How long are we going to accept ‘we’ll look into it’ as a solution?”

Mods: Press Release:

http://wwf.panda.org/wwf_news/?205290

Kumi Naidoo, Greenpeace International Executive Director said:

“The future we want has gotten a little further away today. Rio+20 has turned into an epic failure. It has failed on equity, failed on ecology and failed on economy.”

“We were promised the 'future we want' but are now being present with a 'common vision' of a polluter’s charter that will cook the planet, empty the oceans and wreck the rain forests.“

“This is not a foundation on which to grow economies or pull people out of poverty, it’s the last will and testament of a destructive twentieth century development model.”

"The only sensible thing left on the table until today was the launch of an Oceans Rescue Plan for the High Seas. This too has now been killed by the US, Canada, Russia and Venezuela who want to mine the seas for private profit with impunity and exploit the resources that belong to all humanity.”

“World leaders will begin to descend on Rio today and we have to ask why? We were promised a green economy, the Future we Want, but all we can look forward to is three more days of Greenwash.”

“From the G20 to Rio+20 this is not a good week for people and the planet. While billions are being spent bailing out banks and billions more on subsidising the fossil fuel industry, its clear whose agenda our leaders are following, that of business as usual of polluting corporations.”

EDIT

Mods: Press Release

http://www.greenpeace.org/international/en/press/releases/Greenpeace-comment-on-state-of-Rio20-negotiations-text-for-adoption/