Dire Forcast, No History In future

Dire Forcast, No History In future

Indian Holocaust My Father`s Life and Time - Ninty FOUR

Palash Biswas

What is the meaning of this farce. Globalistion is the prime creator of Green House gases. Devastating eco friendly indigineous production system in every corner of this world, the Global government is concerned for the future of Man, Nature and The earth!

Waging war against mankind the weapon industry of the world cries for peace!


India, which along with China is developing rapidly with a quickly-expanding population, faces the challenge of how to develop economically without ruining its environment. A senior ecology official noted that the climate change panel is "a network of scientists" that cannot set policy.
In India, another country of one billion-plus people that faces the same challenge of how to develop economically without ruining its environment, a senior ecology official noted that the climate change panel is "a network of scientists" that cannot set policy.

"This is a group of climate experts attempting to reach a scientific consensus. It doesn't commit governments to any course of action," said the official, Pradipto Ghosh, of India's Ministry of Environment and Forests.

Human troubles and evils are prophesied to grow far worse in this age. Appalling violence, terrorism and war are escalating as human nature hurtles further out of control. China's melting glaciers could affect India

We were involved in chipko Movement in seveties. Naxalbari was an inspiration for us all who wanted definite chang in the imperialist feudal scenerio in India. We were against indiscriminate deforestaion as we are up against the corporotae Imperialist globalisation causing mass destruction in Rural India. If saddam Hussain is eliminated on just an American presumpsion that Iraq developed weapons of mass destruction why the Indian ruling classes would not be tried for an unprecedented crime of massacres of underclasses in India.The Chipko movement was a group of villagers in the Uttarakhand region of India who opposed commercial logging. The movement is best known for its tactic of hugging trees to prevent them being cut down. This gave rise to the term tree hugger for environmentalists. Also, it was notable in that the movement was led by women who were influenced by Mahatma Gandhi. The name of the movement comes from the Hindi word for 'embrace', as the villagers hugged the trees, and prevented the contractors from felling them.

In India, we talk to decrease the use of fossil fuel to put a cap on global warming on this part of the world, but the ruling classes are so determined to have a car for each purchasing individual, that the very base of society and culture is threatened with dire consequences.

If the government of India and the governments in the states are so concerned for the environment what is the justification of Noida, Gurgao, Pune, Banglore,Barnala, Kota, Jhajjar, Singur, Nandigram, Baruipur, Kharagpur, Junput and other industrial projesct? Having experienced the Bhopal gas tragedy what is the meaning of a Chemicale Sez granted on more than 14 thousand acres of fertile land in Nandigram?

why the government is so obstinate with kalingnagar, Tehri and Narmada projects?

Hypocricy unbound.

I do not belong to academia neither I happen to be an expert. Fortunately i had an opportunity to witness some of the sessions of Indian History congress held in Kolkata few years back. Prof. shekhar Pathak, dr Girija Pande and dr Ajay Rawat came down from Nainital to participate and they insisted me to be present. I was introduced to Irfan Habib and others.

Dr Ajay rawat presented a paper on deforestration in a debate on contemprorary histotry. A lady from the most esteemed university of Jadav pur objected as she argued that deforestation may not be a topic for History. The presiding profeesor overuled her saying, without environment, there would not be any History in future.

I must say that the globalisation drive on the way of capitalist development in India would lead us to a situation of melting glaciers, rising temperature, disturbed weather cycle and gret Indian mansoon,sunmis and earth quake.
The great Himalayas is ticking like an Atom Bomb.
The ruling classes in underdeveloped and developing world including this subcontinent are invoking Great famines and the incidents like Hiroshima and nagasaki, I am afraid to add.

In Uttarakhand, our opposition to large scale deforestation was motivated by a combination of environmental and economic concerns. The felling of forests of Banj (Himalayan Oak), and their replacement by Chir Pine, reduced the amount of undergrowth and hence led to increased flooding. Among the movement's economic demands were that no forest-exploiting contracts be given to outsiders, a minimum wage for forest labourers, and the provision of low-cost materials for local small-scale industries.The movement denied any formal hierarchy, but particularly influential members included Sunderlal Bahuguna , Chandi Prasad Bhatt and Sarala Ben. The writer and activist Vandana Shiva was also involved in the Chipko movement in the 1970s.

We had Uttarakhand sangharsh vahini, Yugmanch, Nainital Samachar, Jagar and Pahar team along with the students` support all over Uttarakhand.

I am proud that as a student I participated in the movement.

Tushar kanjilal is leading a NGO Tagore society in an Island Gosaba in Sunderban for decades. he is the man responsible for micro credit, basic health and sanitation, education and environment awareness in The hundreds of remote islands where the goverment of West Bengal is quite defunct. he has been pronouncing exactly the same warnings as The Global Environment Body of Scientists issued. No one paid any attention.

what is sundarbans?

National Fishworkers ForumThe Sundarbans delta is the largest mangrove forest in the world. It lies at the mouth of the Ganges and is spread across areas of Bangladesh and West Bengal, India, forming the seaward fringe of the delta. Interestingly, the Bangladesh and Indian portion of the jungle are listed in the UNESCO world heritage list separately as the Sundarbans and Sundarbans National Park respectively, though they are simply parts of the same forest. The Sundarbans is intersected by a complex network of tidal waterways, mudflats and small islands of salt-tolerant mangrove forests, and presents an excellent example of ongoing ecological processes. The area is known for its wide range of fauna. The most famous among these are the maneating Royal Bengal Tigers, but numerous species of birds, spotted deer, crocodiles and snakes also inhabit it. It is estimated that there are now 400 Bengal tigers and about 30,000 spotted deer in the area.Most of the plot of prize-winning anthropologist Amitav Ghosh's 2004 novel, The Hungry Tide, is set in the Sundarbans.

During each monsoon season almost all the Bengali delta is submerged, much of it for half a year. The sediment of the lower delta plain is primarily advected inland by monsoonal coastal setup and cyclonic events. One of the greatest challenges people living on the Ganges Delta may face in coming years is the threat of rising sea levels caused mostly by subsidence in the region and partly by climate change. Residents have to be careful building on the river delta, as severe flooding sometimes occurs. A 1990 study noted "There is no evidence that environmental degradation in the Himalayas or a 'greenhouse'-induced rise in sea level have aggravated floods in Bangladesh." Upstream dams can reduce fresh water supply. In many of the Indian mangrove wetlands, freshwater reaching the mangroves was considerably reduced from the late 19th century due to diversion of freshwater in the upstream area. Also, the Bengal Basin is slowly tilting towards the east due to neo-tectonic movement, forcing greater freshwater input to the Bangladesh Sunderbans. As a result, the salinity of the Bangladesh Sunderbans is much lower than that of the Indian Sunderbans.

Just read this memorandum to understand how aware is our society.

Five Star Mega Tourism Project To Destroy The Largest Mangrove Forest Of The World


By National Fishworkers Forum, India
July 2003

One of the largest mangrove forests in the world and a unique tiger habitat, the Sunderbans in West Bengal has been facing serious threats to its ecosystem due to a number of causes which, in near future, are going to be eclipsed by a sinister five star mega tourism project.

Situated at the mouth of the Bay of Bengal in the Ganga-Brahmaputra delta, the Sunderbans covers an area of around 10,000 sq km. Of this, 4,262 sq km is in India and the rest is in Bangladesh. Of the 60 varieties of mangroves and mangrove associates that are found in India, the Sunderbans accounts for 50, many of which are rare. Known for its biodiversity, the region has been identified as a World Heritage Site by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature. Apart from serving as a shield against natural calamities, it checks atmospheric pollution. It has a great capacity to absorb pollutants from both air and water.

A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed between the West Bengal Government and the SAHARA Group of Companies on 30th October 2002 to undertake a five star mega tourism project in the Sundarbans. The Rs 700 crore project will be provided 750 acres of land at Sagar Island, Fraserganj, L-Plot, Kaikhali and other islands of South 24 Parganas. The project has been named 'Integrated SAHARA Tourism Circuit' (ISTC). The MoU will be valid for one year. The land will be handed over by the state government to SAHARA by March 2003 "with statutory approvals like marine, environment and forest". The importance of the MoU can be envisaged by the fact that it was signed in presence of the Chief Minister of the Left Front Government of West Bengal. This is going to be the biggest tourism project in West Bengal.

The project will take off in 2003 and the work will be completed in 2005. Before completion, from 2004, tourists will be taken to certain places. As stated by the interest group "to 'limit' the crowd, only 1500 tourists will be catered."

The project will provide land based accommodations as well as floatels, excursion to interiors through creeks and channels in motorboats. Helipad will also be built inside Sunderbans for 'emergency evacuation'. A huge area of waterways will be developed. Hovercraft will be used to carry the passengers right from Kolkata.

Two committees have been set up to launch the project - a cabinet sub-committee headed by the Chief Minister for supervision, the other, a high level committee of senior officials headed by the State Chief Secretary for monitoring.

It is a well-known fact that Sunderbans is already endangered. Ever-increasing human settlement has occupied a large space. The enormous pressure of population and their economic activities have destroyed a good amount of the forest with its exotic flora and fauna. A huge number of water transports, using enormous amount of fossil fuel, are disturbing the water life through continuous navigation and oil sippage. Decrease of fresh water inflow is increasing the salinity threatening the biosphere and disturbing the ecological balance. Earlier the city effluents of Kolkata, including the industrial effluents, flew through a large number of water bodies that acted as natural filters. But due to conversion of these water bodies by the real estate developers during recent past, the city effluents are now being more directly received by the Sunderbans. All these have caused gradual destruction of the mangrove forest and the natural food chains. Species of fishes, other water lives and mangroves have disappeared.

Although the Sunderbans has an enormous capacity to absorb industrial effluents and other forms of pollutants, experts feel that if the present situation continues for long, it might affect the ecosystem adversely. Atanu Kumar Raha, Chief Conservator of Forests (south) and Director, Sunderban Biosphere Reserve, told Frontline - a news magazine, that the latest Geographic Information Systems (GIS) report showed that in the past 70 years, 220 sq km of forestland had been submerged. "Even 150 years ago, the Sunderbans was the home of the one-horned Indian rhino, the Javan rhino, wild buffaloes and even river dolphins. All these are now extinct," Raha said.

At present a large area (beyond the core area) of the Sunderbans is visited by the tourists. No tourist is officially allowed to enter into the core area. Limited facilities are available. Still the forest lovers are attracted and take trouble (although not much) to visit the forest.

But, under the sham guise of 'eco-tourism' this mega five star tourism project is set to create havoc. The project, after completion, will take the tourists even inside the core area. The creeks, which still remain undisturbed, will be invaded and that too with motor boats. The hotels and floatels by their sheer existence will disturb the bio-diversity to a great extent let alone the effluents and emissions they will generate. Helicopters will move around to cause further disturbance to the wild life. Increased economic activities will speed up the destruction that has already set in. The whole idea is to make business out of nature. The West Bengal Government is recklessly selling nature to big business.

Sunderbans falls in the Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) Category I, where no construction activity for tourism is permitted. The proposed mega tourism drive is thus illegal in view of the law of the land. It is deplorable that a governmental authority is involved in such an illegal act.

Although the Sunderbans has international importance, the MoU has been signed without consultation with the concerned environmental agencies and/or authorities both at the national and international levels.

The project must be nipped in the bud.

Please send your message of protest to the following Fax Numbers

Thanks
Hare Krishna Debnath
Chairperson
To,
CHIEF MINISTER OF WEST BENGAL, WRITERS BUILDING, CALCITTA-1, INDIA, Fax Number: (0091 ) 0332351 959
PRIME MINISTER OF INDIA, PARLIAMENT HOUSE, NEW DELHI -110 001, INDIA. Fax Number: (R) ( 0091)011 3019334, (OFF.) (0091 ) 011 3016857
Kiranmay Nanda, Minister of Fisheries, West Bengal, Fax: (0091) 033-2143929.
Sri.M.K. Jiwrajka, Secretary,CEC (IG) Ministry of E&F. Govt. India. Fax Number (0091) 011 4363976
T. R. Balu, Minister of Environment and Forest, New Delhi, Fax: (0091) 11-4362222.
Sundarbans literally means "beautiful forest" in Bengali language. The name Sundarbans may also have been derived from the Sundari trees that are found in Sundarbans in large numbers.


In 1911 it was described as a tract of waste country which had never been surveyed, nor had the census been extended to it. It then stretched for about 165 miles from the mouth of the Hugli to the mouth of the Meghna, and was bordered inland by the three settled districts of the Twenty-four Parganas, Khulna and Backergunje. The total area (including water) was estimated at 6526 square miles. It was a water-logged jungle, in which tigers and other wild beasts abounded. Attempts at reclamation had not been very successful. The characteristic tree was the sundri (Heritiera littoralis), from which the name of the tract had probably been derived. It yields a hard wood, sued for building, and for making boats, furniture, etc. The Sundarbans were everywhere intersected by river channels and creeks, some of which afforded water communication between Calcutta and the Brahmaputra valley, both for steamers and for native boats.

Ecosystem

River in SunderbansThe mangrove-dominated Ganges delta – the Sundarbans - is a complex ecosystem comprising one of the three largest single tract of mangrove forests of the world. Shared between two neighboring countries, Bangladesh and India, the larger part (62%)is situated in the southwest corner of Bangladesh. To the south the forest meets the Bay of Bengal; to the east it is bordered by the Baleswar River and to the north there is a sharp interface with intensively cultivated land. The natural drainage in the upstream areas, other than the main river channels, is everywhere impeded by extensive embankments and polders. The total land area is 4,143 km² (including exposed sandbars: 42 km²) and the remaining water area of 1,874 km² encompasses rivers, small streams and canals. Rivers in the Sundarbans are meeting places of salt water and freshwater. Thus, it is a region of transition between the freshwater of the rivers originating from the Ganges and the saline water of the Bay of Bengal (Wahid et al.. 2002).

In terms of biodiversity, the Sundarbans contrasts the other large mangrove forests for its extraordinarily diverse wildlife and designated as a UNESCO’s World Network of International Biosphere Reserves since 2001. The forest also has immense protective and productive functions. Constituting 51% of the total reserved forest estate of Bangladesh it contributes about 41% of total forest revenue and accounts for about 45% of all timber and fuel wood output of the country (FAO 1995). A number of industries (e.g. newsprint mill, match factory, hardboard, boat building, furniture making) are based on the raw material obtained from the Sundarbans ecosystem. Various non-timber forest products and plantations help generate considerable employment and income generation opportunities for at least half a million poor coastal population. Besides production functions of the forest, it provides natural protection to life and properties of the coastal population in cyclone prone Bangladesh.

DFire forcast

The dire forecast by an international panel of scientists Friday that the Earth will warm and sea levels will continue to rise for centuries even if the world starts limiting greenhouse gases spurred new calls for urgent action. In Paris, where the report by the U.N. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change was released, scientists and top officials called for new talks toward an agreement among all nations to cut emissions. In Washington, lawmakers called the report the "scientific smoking gun" that puts to rest the debate over whether warming is a danger to civilization. Even the Bush administration embraced the report's findings, which were based on the work of hundreds of U.S. scientists. But the White House said it still opposes any mandatory cuts in emissions, warning of potential damage to the U.S. economy. "For us to set up something that would limit carbon emissions in this country alone is not a solution to the problem," Energy Secretary Samuel Bodman said. "One would be concerned that one would find an export of jobs and industries abroad. You'd have the same effect or worse in terms of the impact of greenhouse gases on the global climate."

This morning in Paris, hundreds of scientists from around the world released a report showing that global warming is accelerating, that human activity is responsible for this warming, and that it is likely irreversible for centuries, even if greenhouse gas emissions are stabilized. The report, entitled "The Physical Science Basis: a Summary for Policymakers," was adopted in a line-by line review by the governments of 113 countries, including the United States, The new report says that warming during the last 100 years was 0.74 °C (1.3 °F), with most of the warming occurring during the past 50 years. The warming for the next 20 years is projected to be 0.2°C (1.3°F) per decade. Flooded homes in a subdivision in Louisiana's St. Bernard Parish following Hurricane Katrina. September 19, 2005. (Photo by Andrea Booher courtesy FEMA) Mid-range scenarios predict severe droughts and floods, more intense hurricanes and cyclones, pressure on fresh water and food supplies, increased spread of diseases, and rising sea levels that could displace hundreds of millions of people worldwide. Reaction to the first report in six years from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, IPCC, has ranged across the spectrum.

Dr. Sharon Hays, leader of the U.S. delegation at the Paris meeting and chief science official in the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, said the IPCC report "reflects the sizeable and robust body of knowledge regarding the physical science of climate change, including the finding that the Earth is warming and that human activities have very likely caused most of the warming of the last 50 years." U.S. Energy Secretary Samuel Bodman said the United States embraces the findings of the IPCC report. "We agree with it, and the science behind it is something that our country has played a very important role in," he told journalists today in Washington.

The Bush administration continues to rely on technology to counter global warming rather than the limits on emissions adopted by other industrialized nations under the Kyoto Protocol. Bodman said the United States has invested nearly $29 billion since 2001 in climate-related science and technology programs. "We estimate that the U.S. has invested more in climate change science than the rest of the world combined," Bodman said.


Abandoned agricultural field in the drought-stricken Fremont Valley, California. (Photo courtesy USGS) In Congress, Chairman of the Senate Energy Committee Jeff Bingaman, a New Mexico Democrat said, "This U.N. report is only the latest in a series of signals that increase the urgency of our efforts to deal with global warming," Bingaman said. "Today I am again urging the President to show leadership and work with Congress to implement a mandatory, market-based cap and trade program to address this challenge."
Bingaman said he and Senator Arlen Specter, a Pennsylvania Republican, are developing bipartisan consensus on legislation that Congress can pass this year. "The consequences so clearly spelled out in this report, and many others, compel us to act now," he said.

Environmental groups generally welcomed the IPCC's information in hopes that it may prompt swift action to limit global warming.

"This new IPCC report makes it clear that global warming is here now, and we must take swift and effective action to stave off the most severe consequences," said Dr. Dan Lashof, science director at NRDC’s Climate Center. "At this point, some warming is unavoidable, but there is a world of difference between one degree and seven degrees."

"The good news is that the political climate in Washington is changing as well," Lashof said. "Congress needs to enact comprehensive emission limits that will steadily reduce global warming pollution. We have an opportunity to fix this problem, but only if we act before it’s too late."

On Tuesday, 44 Greenpeace activists scaled the Eiffel Tower in Paris to hang banners proclaiming, "It's Not Too Late."
The United States, the world's largest emitter of greenhouse gases with about 25 percent of global emissions, is already under intense pressure from allies in Europe and elsewhere to act. The Democrat-led Congress hopes to pass legislation this year to cut emissions, and the report offers new ammunition for the bill's proponents.

"Global warming is a 100 percent certainty, and this report states that there is a 90 percent certainty that humans are causing most of it," said Sen. Barbara Boxer, D-Calif., who chairs the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee. "This report must serve as a wake-up call to those policymakers who have ignored this issue -- we must take action now."

Remove all clippings Remove all read clippings Global warming report builds support for bid for new world environmental body

PARIS: Fear of runaway global warming pushed 46 countries to line up Saturday behind France's bid for a new environmental body that could single out — and perhaps police — nations that abuse the Earth.

"It is our responsibility. The future of humanity demands it," President Jacques Chirac said in an appeal to put the environment at the top of the world's agenda.

He spoke at a conference a day after the release in Paris of a grim landmark report from the world's leading climate scientists and government officials that said global warming is so severe that it will "continue for centuries" and that humans are to blame.

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change's report sparked calls for fast, planet-wide action. But not everyone at Chirac's conference welcomed the idea of a body that would define and possibly enforce environmental rules.

Key world polluters — including the United States, China, India and Russia — steered clear, while Europeans embraced it. A total of 46 countries agreed to pursue plans for the new organization, and to hold their first meeting in Morocco this spring.
UN needs bigger environment role, EU says


PARIS, 2 Feb. (EUX.TV) -- The European Union wants the United Nations to play a bigger role in solving the world's environment problems.

EU Environment Commissioner Stavros Dimas told the UN's climate change conference on Friday that the UN should upgrade its 'environmental programme' into a full-fledge UN Environmental Organisation.

"We in the EU have proposed to look seriously at the way the UN deals with environmental issues," Dimas said. "We have proposed to strengthen the environmental voice inside the UN, notably through strengthening UNEP, and upgrading it into a UN Environmental Organisation. We believe that this way, the UN will be better equipped to deal with today's pressing environmental issues, from water to air pollution, to biodiversity, to climate change."

"There is no way a single group of countries will be able on its own to tackle climate change," Dimas said. "If there is one example of why we need to work jointly, at the international level, it is the fight against climate change."

"US must be the first to act"

Dimas said global cuts in greenhouse gas emission can only be achieved with global action. The United States, he said, must be first to act.

"In particular, we expect the US as the world first emitter of greenhouse gases to take action," he said. "The European Commission proposes that developed countries adopt a greenhouse gas emissions reduction objective of 30% below 1990 levels by 2020."

Speaking in Paris, Dimas reiterated his desire to cut emissions from the car industry to a level of 120 grams of CO2 per kilometer. The EU car industry, who has the ears of industry commissioner Gunter Verheugen, opposes this and wants a higher limit.

Dimas said the EU Commission will decide on this issue next week. A decision had initially been expected for this week, but the difference of opinion between Dimas and Verheugen forced the decision to be delayed.

Fresh momentum is needed to kick start international negotiations and drive forward a sufficiently ambitious global climate agreement. The EU should give a clear signal to our partners worldwide that it is time to move from words to action. This is why the Commission proposes that the EU takes on an independent commitment to reduce its emissions by at least 20% even if there is no international deal. The independent commitment underpins our strong determination to obtain an international agreement, emphasising that fighting climate change is feasible and makes economic sense.

We also need to step up our cooperation with developing countries to help them to slow the growth of greenhouse gas emissions as soon as possible, and reduce them from 2020 onwards. The Commission has put forward a number of options for engaging developing countries in a global climate agreement.

Energy insecurity is for instance a key issue. India already imports more than 70% of its oil, and in two decades China will do so too. Decreasing energy demand through energy efficiency is a win-win policy that also reduces greenhouse gas emissions. This is also the case for measures that improve local air quality. Nine out of the 10 mega-cities worst affected by particle matter are located in Asia, the other one is in Africa. Recent studies for the Beijing area estimate that halving local air pollution would also decrease expected CO2 emissions by a third with substantially larger health benefits than costs.

The global carbon market must be a key tool in our global efforts to tackle climate change. The carbon market has already seen a remarkably swift start. The Kyoto Protocol's Clean Development Mechanism is expected to generate already more than 1 billion ton CO2 equivalent emission reductions by 2012. The EU has created the single largest emission trading system, which sits at the heart of the global carbon market, and has demonstrated the power of pricing greenhouse gas emissions.

For the period after 2012 we want to see a much more integrated global carbon market and better access to innovative financing tools. I would like to stress that this carbon market is of mutual interest to all of us. It ensures that cost effective emission reductions are undertaken at a global scale. It deploys low carbon technologies in all countries and it builds capacity for a low global carbon future.

Technologies to reduce our emissions are there. climate change is not just a serious threat – it is also a huge opportunity. The transition to a low-carbon economy opens up enormous possibilities that the most dynamic firms in Europe and elsewhere are beginning to grasp. The leaders in this new industrial revolution will be those who are first to fully integrate climate concerns into their business strategy. This will constitute an essential competitive advantage for companies in an increasingly energy constrained world.

There is no way a single group of countries will be able on its own to tackle climate change. If there is one example of why we need to work jointly, at the international level, it is the fight against climate change.

This requires not only a strong political will. It also requires well funded and functioning multilateral institutions.

This conference is therefore rightly dedicated to global environmental governance. We in the EU have proposed to look seriously at the way the UN deals with environmental issues, and we have proposed to strengthen the environmental voice inside the UN, notably through strengthening UNEP, and upgrading it into a UN Environmental Organisation. We believe that this way, the UN will be better equipped to deal with today's pressing environmental issues, from water to air pollution, to biodiversity, to climate change.

Today in Europe

News Analysis: Chirac says what many have been thinking
Global warming called 'unequivocal'
Merkel starts trip to Mideast
Without naming the United States directly, Chirac expressed frustration that "some large countries, large rich countries, still must be convinced." They are "refusing to accept the consequences of their acts," he said.

Chirac, 74, is seeking to leave his mark on international affairs before he leaves office, likely in May. He has long expressed concern about environmental affairs, though his environmental record over 12 years as France's president is spotty.

Former U.S. Vice President Al Gore, whose documentary on the perils of global warming has garnered worldwide attention, cheered Chirac's efforts.

"We are at a tipping point," Gore said in recorded remarks shown at the conference. Friday's report was "yet another warning about the dangers we face. We must act, and act swiftly. ... Such action requires international cooperation."

Many questions remain about the proposed environment body, including whether it would have the power to enforce global climate accords.

Chirac's appeal says only that the body should "evaluate ecological damage" and "support the implementation of environmental decisions."

Many countries have failed to meet targets for cutting greenhouse gas emissions laid out in the 1997 Kyoto Protocol. The United States never ratified the pact.

In an interview published earlier this week, Chirac warned that the United States could face a carbon tax on its exports if it does not sign global climate accords.

"We have 700 multilateral environmental agreements, and none of them seem to work. Environmental institutions are extremely weak," said Cristian Maquieira, a Chilean government environment official.

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Andrei Denisov said that creating a new environment organization would require too much time and money. Instead, he urged reforming the existing U.N. Environment Program and expanding its powers.