Low Carbon Strategy in danger?

Sep 22, 2009 News

Britain’s PM says failure possible in Copenhagen talks

A key climate deal planned for Copenhagen, Denmark, in 10 weeks’ time is in grave danger of failure because of no commitment from world leaders to attend, Britain’s Prime Minister, Gordon Brown has said.

Britain’s Prime Minister, Gordon Brown

But Guyana is hoping that current talks underway in New York will see some breakthrough.

Brown has become the first world leader to offer to go to the Danish capital to help seal the deal which Guyana is hoping will advance. Yesterday, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett, speaking from New York where she is attending key United Nations meetings on climate change, said that Guyana is continuing its lobbying efforts through CARICOM and the Small Island Developing States (SIDS).

Today, President Jadgeo and Norwegian Prime Minister, Jens Stoltenberg are expected to co-chair a session of the talks toward united front. Also expected to be sitting on that session are Mexico, Germany, Fuji, China, St Kitts and Nevis, Singapore, Switzerland, Sweden and Tanzania.

And it is here that intense lobbying by Guyana will be made to representatives of various countries of the importance to move forward on solutions.

This year’s talks in Copenhagen are vital as they aim to produce a successor to the Kyoto Climate Protocol on global warming.

The annual climate negotiations are normally done by environment Ministers, but they lack the political muscle to make the big spending decisions which underpin the talks.

The vast majority of climate scientists say there must be no further delay in emissions cuts.

Prime Minister Brown is reported as telling Newsweek magazine that there was no second chance to undo “catastrophic damage” to the environment if “we miss the opportunity to protect the planet”.

Brown also warned that consumers would have to pay more for energy in the future, whether the UK opts for high or low carbon energy sources.

Britain’s head of government said that a deal was also essential to help kick-start a global low-carbon economy as a route out of recession.

“What has now become clear is that the push toward decarbonisation will be one of the major drivers of global and national economic growth over the next decade,” he said.

“And the economies which embrace the green revolution earliest will reap the greatest economic rewards.”

Brown said that, if necessary, he would go to Copenhagen himself, and his staff said that he would urge other leaders to follow suit at UN this week during the climate talks meeting.

Brown also said that clean energy investment would put up costs for consumers – but by less than would happen if the UK stuck with fossil fuels.

The costs will be affordable as the economy grows and as energy efficiency improves, he says. He is following a lead set by Energy Secretary, Ed Miliband, who was first to break with the political spin that it was possible to decarbonise the economy without putting up prices.

Britain’s leaders have been promising a green economy for many years but Germany, Denmark, the US – and now increasingly China and India – are taking a market lead.

Brown has already taken an international lead by suggesting rich nations should pay $100bn (£62bn) a year to help poor nations with the changing climate.

Last year, President Jagdeo disclosed that he had spoken to former British Prime Minister, Tony Blair, about possibly using Guyana’s forests to reduce carbon in return for possible financial returns.

Earlier this year, the President unveiled an ambitious strategy that will entail closer monitoring of the forests and a series of consultations to prepare Guyana for impending changes to way countries operate with regards to the climate.