(from The New York Times, 5/9/89, p. C4) BRITISH URGE RAPID ACTION [ON WARMING] By Paul Lewis Special to The New York Times UNITED NATIONS, May 8 -- Britain today called for the rapid drafting of a new international convention to deal with the problem of global warming, saying rising temperatures could lead to disruption of normal life, political tension and war. The British Government suggested in a statement to the United Nations that countries should agree as soon as possible on a convention that would set out broad "guidelines for good climatic behavior." More specific binding protocols dealing with the global warming problem could then be approved as scientific understanding advances and a consensus develops on what action is needed. Britain's position was outlined by its Permanent Representative at the United Nations, Sir Crispin Tickell, in a speech to the United Nations Economic and Social Council. He said his Government decided to press for rapid action on global warming after a daylong seminar organized on April 26 by Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher at her official residence and attended by ministers, scientists and industrialists. Sir Crispin said that even though great uncertainties still exist about global warming, the Downing Street meeting concluded that there was no time to waste in planning international action to cope with a problem of such scale and complexity which could disrupt "the intricate web of life on a scale now hard to imagine." At a news conference, Sir Crispin warned that rising world temperatures and climatic change threaten world peace because they could lead to disputes and wars over fresh water and arable land and create a whole new class of "environmental refugees" fleeing land that could no longer sustain them. X-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-X Another file downloaded from: The NIRVANAnet(tm) Seven & the Temple of the Screaming Electron Taipan Enigma 510/935-5845 Burn This Flag Zardoz 408/363-9766 realitycheck Poindexter Fortran 510/527-1662 Lies Unlimited Mick Freen 801/278-2699 The New Dork Sublime Biffnix 415/864-DORK The Shrine Rif Raf 206/794-6674 Planet Mirth Simon Jester 510/786-6560 "Raw Data for Raw Nerves" X-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-X