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CLIMATE CHANGE - AND THE NEED FOR POLITICAL CHANGE

For immediate use 7 December 2007

On Saturday December 8^th, hundreds of thousands of people will demonstrate around the world demanding urgent action to stop the devastation caused by climate change.  We fully support these protests. 

Representatives from 169 countries, meeting at the UN summit in Indonesia, are trying to find a consensus to curb the escalation of greenhouse gases causing global warming. Many, however, will merely seek to preserve the interests of the rich and powerful countries, and the rich and powerful companies who stand in the shadows behind them.  They won't be successful in finding a way of avoiding climate change.  Governments are determined to only seek solutions within free market economics – and the desire for profits will outweigh environmental concerns.

Climate change is clearly already with us.  Temperatures are increasing, polar ice caps are melting, glaciers are retreating, sea levels are rising, biodiversity is being lost, food production is being threatened, water scarcity is spreading and extreme weather -- storms, floods, droughts and heat waves – is occurring more frequently.  There is no doubt it's going to cost a lot of money to put it right -- but who's going to pay?

All three main parties in Britain - Labour, Tory and Liberal Democrats - rely on essentially the same free-market solutions, where working people pay either through cuts in living standards or increases in so-called 'green taxes' – all to protect profits.   We are not surprised.  There is no fundamental disagreement over any main policy between the three big parties.  In fact it doesn't seem like we really have three separate parties in this country any more, it's more like one big party - artificially split three ways at election times to give the synthetic impression of difference.

This is why we say that a new independent mass party of working people is needed to present a genuine alternative to the three parties of big business.  The Establishment has three parties now at its beck and call - isn't it time working people had one of their own?  The only way to stop the devastation caused by climate change is to put people before profits – and we need a new socialist party to fight for that to happen.

Pete McLaren CNWP Press Officer

NOTES 

The Campaign for a New Workers’ Party (CNWP) was launched in London at a Conference attended by 450 socialists and trade unionists on  March 19. Nearly 3,000 supporters have already signed the founding declaration, and a number of left groups have affiliated.  Officers and a Steering Committee have been elected.  The CNWP founding Declaration can be seen on our web site: www.cnwp.org.uk

For further information contact:

Pete McLaren on 07881 520626

Dave Nellist on 07970 294237

or

Email: pete.mclaren@virgin.net

info@cnwp.org.uk

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