Copenhagen’s climate change talks are in danger of failing to secure a deal says Miliband

9 September 2009

The world’s upcoming talks on climate change are in danger of failing to provide a positive outcome, UK Foreign Secretary David Miliband warned.

In a briefing on the state of the Copenhagen climate change negotiations, Secretary David Miliband and Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change Ed Miliband joined forces to urge European foreign ministers to re-energise the global effort to secure a deal at the December meeting.

‘You’ll know that for some time it’s been the position of the British Government that climate change is not just an environmental issue, it’s an economic issue, a, a security issue, and therefore a foreign policy issue. It’s a foreign policy issue because it involves very complex international negotiations but also because of the foreign policy consequences of the sort of climate changes that are underway,’ David Miliband said.

During the briefing, the Foreign Secretary stressed the urgency surrounding the need for a positive deal and said there was a fear that people will not wake up to the danger of failure until it is too late. The complexity of the issues raised by climate change can prove too overwhelming to understand and there is a deep suspicion between the developed and developing worlds about the motivation and intentions behind the move.

‘I think it’s important to say that climate change negotiations are probably the most complex international negotiations ever undertaken. They have profound implications for economy, for energy and for politics. They raise questions of responsibility and equity, as well as technology and finance, and they require an individual commitment from every country in the world,’ David Miliband continued.

A map drawn up by the Hadley Centre, a centre focused on climate research, showed that we are heading for a rise in temperature by four degrees, probably by the end of this century. This change in global temperatures would lead to international migration as a result of land being forced under water. It also poses a threat to infrastructure and place great pressure on resources through drought, deforestation and water shortage.

The map highlights that areas of the US, the US borders with Latin America, Africa and the Asian sun-continent will suffer a number of the potential consequences of climate change.

As a result, the Foreign Secretary expects the United Nations Security Council to focus on climate change as a result of the threat to international peace and security.

‘I think it’s fair to say that in our domestic legislation in the UK and also in the proposals that the Prime Minister has put forward on climate financing the UK has established itself as a world leader in the climate change debate. We now need to use that leverage to do everything we can to get a positive deal at Copenhagen, a deal which at the moment hangs in the balance,’ David Miliband concluded.

Ed Miliband supported the Foreign Secretary’s take on the situation and homed in on the fact that the world’s poorest countries such as Bangladesh were already suffering the consequences of climate change.

‘There’s no question that developed countries bear responsibility for the climate change that is already happening and is going to happen for some decades hence. But for future generations I think in all countries there is a profound and dramatic interest in getting a deal now, all the evidence is that the longer we wait the worse the problem will get, the higher the costs will be.’

The Climate Change Secretary said that despite the responsibility having fell at the feet of developed countries, developing countries need to be part of the solution. China, Brazil, South Africa and India already showed signs of progress with the introduction of ambitious domestic plans and now the UK government hopes other countries will follow. Although emissions cuts were not on the menu at present, such countries would need to show a slowdown in the growth of their emissions by 2020 in advance of later cuts.

The duo stressed that it’s important to recognise that there are economic benefits for developed as well as developing countries and the financial rewards it offers should help lead countries in the right direction.

‘So a deal on climate change is in the balance but that means it has as much chance of success as it does of failure, and what is required is the political will to tip the balance. The British Government is determined to do its bit and we must not fail because this is a unique moment of opportunity. Every Minister in Government will be part of this diplomatic offensive and we’re determined to succeed,’ Ed Miliband summed up.

Copyright © 2009 NewNet

This story was published on Wednesday, September 9th, 2009 at 10:43 am and is filed under Europe, Features, energy efficiency, policy. You can follow any responses to article entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

One Response to “Copenhagen’s climate change talks are in danger of failing to secure a deal says Miliband”

1. Klem says:

   9 September 2009 at 5:57 pm

   That’s right, a climate deal will not happen at Copenhagen this year. Oh well I guess the people who manage these events will have to go back to suffering the indignities of smoozing celebrities, riding around in limos and eating gourmet meals again… Sigh…

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