Showing posts with label asia-europe meeting. Show all posts
Showing posts with label asia-europe meeting. Show all posts

Tuesday, October 28, 2008

EU leader urges climate change fight continue

European Union leader Jose Manuel Barroso urged leaders at the Asia-Europe Meeting in Beijing to keep up the fight against climate change despite the financial crisis.

In some ways, the climate change battle will benefit inadvertently from the fall in production and consumption that is likely to occur in a non-organized fashion from economic recession or depression.

Healthy economies can certainly be developed that do not depend on rampant consumerism. Indeed, that's how the world has survived for most of history. However, the idea was a smooth, structured move toward such a transition. The economic free-fall could send us in that direction in a more drastic fashion. However, there still is a need to shift toward sustainable, green technologies.

Such a shift could become more difficult now because money is being diverted to prop up banks and financial firms.

If nothing is done, most scientists agree that severe consequences lie ahead from rising sea levels, to serious fluctuations in weather patterns that would hamper agriculture and cause extensive infrastructure damage.


CCTV

Barroso: Climate change to become more serious if no action is taken
Xinhua, China - Oct 25, 2008

... actions to tackle the climate change, there will be larger threats," Barroso made the remarks at the press conference of the seventh Asia-Europe Meeting ...
EU, Asia agree on finance, climate change, Myanmar Trend News Agency
ASEM reviews 12 years’ progress Viet Nam News
China can make important contribution to resolving global crisis ... Forbes

Saturday, October 25, 2008

ASEM looks toward fast Asian growth

Leaders met at the Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM) with much focus on Asia's role as an economic growth engine in the coming years.

With the world rocked by the financial meltdown and many developed nations facing recession or worse, a number of Asian countries led by China are still expected to grow in the short to mid term.

French President Nicolas Sarkozy said that rapid economic growth in Asia was key to digging out of the current mess. Asia has about $4.36 trillion in currency reserves with China owning $1.9 trillion of that total.




Washington Post
Chinese foreign minister says ASEM summit was productive
Xinhua - 43 minutes ago
BEIJING, Oct. 25 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi Saturday summarized the achievements of the seventh Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM) summit saying it "reaped rich fruits".
China Calls for More Work to Solve Global Economic Crisis Voice of America
World leaders pledge financial reform as gloom deepens AFP