The five witnesses” “

Nature and the environment in which we live are being transformed and worrying alarm bells remind us, from time to time, that the emissions of greenhouse gases produced by factories, cars and the central heating systems in our homes concur to pollute the air we breathe and to raise the average temperatures of our planet. The issue will be discussed at Montreal (Canada) from 28 November to 9 December, on the occasion of Cop11, Conference of the parties of the Convention on Climate Change promoted by the UNO, which this year will coincide with the first meeting of the countries that have signed up to the Kyoto Protocol. But what actual consequences can we already feel as a result of these changes? The WWF (World Wildlife Fund) and the European Commission presented five “witnesses of the climate” in the headquarters of the EU Executive in Brussels on Tuesday 22 November. In the presence of the Commissioner for the environment, the Greek STAVROS DIMAS , they told their own stories of “persons who are having to pay the price for the drastic effects of these changes”. GEORG SPERBER , German forestry worker, explained that “the pines of the Bavarian forest are dying” due to the attacks of destructive insects and the heating of the climate. CASSIAN GARBETT, coastguard in the south of England, described his personal experience of the “devastating effects of the rising of sea levels and the increasing frequency of storms”. ALAN STEWART , from Scotland, guides a sled drawn by dogs, for tourists. But the snow “is disappearing in my part of the country and, with it, my livelihood”. And if the seasons are all awry, “the flowers burst into blossom at the wrong time, and the consequences are felt by the bees” with the result that the production of honey and wax of GIUSEPPE MIRANTI , from Italy, has been drastically reduced. Another witness, JOSÉ LUIS OLIVEROS ZAFRA , from Spain, a peasant farmer, testified to the recent devastating drought that struck his country: “I lost hundred percent of my harvest of legumes and cereals”. OLIVER RAPF , 39 year old, from Germany, WWF expert at the European level on climate change and environmental policies, explains to SIR the objectives of the initiative, and specifies the requests of his association to the EU in the run up to the important meeting in Canada. How did the idea take shape of presenting the world conference in Montreal in this unusual and original way? Did you have the full support of the Commission? “The WWF considers it important to show that climate change is already having a direct impact on people’s lives. It’s not an abstract threat for the future. The best way to show this is to allow the people in question to speak for themselves. Last year the same initiative had been presented to Cop10 at Buenos Aires, with witnesses to climate change from as far afield as Nepal, the Fiji Islands, Argentina and India. After this experience, we then formed the idea of seeking witnesses to climate change also in Europe. And I must say that the Commission was immediately interested in meeting these people and fully supported the idea”. Which of the five experiences you presented most struck you personally? “The eyewitness accounts from Spain and Italy are particularly touching. The impact of climate change on agriculture and on small agricultural businesses has a more immediate effect. This may also have repercussions on food supplies in future”. Seas, coasts, mountains, islands… Does the whole of Europe run serious environmental risks? Are you convinced that citizens are really aware of these dangers? “Some regions suffer a greater impact than others. In the Mediterranean area, for example, climate change can already be felt and extreme climatic phenomena will increase in future. Other regions particularly affected are mountainous regions, where an evident reduction of snowfall is already evident. I’m convinced that there is an awareness among citizens of all this, but it’s not enough to lead to a change in conduct or exert the political pressure necessary for a global campaign against climate change”. What initiatives do you ask of the European Union to turn it into a champion of the environment? “The WWF asks that the negotiations in Montreal lead to an agreement on a timetable and clear targets to be achieved for the reduction of greenhouse gases after the expiry of the Kyoto Protocol. We ask the EU to implement measures for the reduction of carbon dioxide also in the residential and transport sectors. As regards the system of emission trading (ETS), stricter limits ought to be fixed by the member states of the Union for the second phase of the system, which will begin next year”.