The time is now – we have no choice

The clock is ticking for Planet Earth, say environmentalists

THE eyes of people around the world are focused on Copenhagen where the United Nations Climate Change Conference – or COP 15 – started this week.

World leaders have until next Friday to reach an international agreement to combat global warming from 2012 when the current agreement – the Kyoto Protocol  (which was signed in 1997 and sets limits on the amount of greenhouse gas emissions that can be released) - runs out.

Over 100 world leaders will attend, with the challenge made clear by the Mayor of Copenhagen, who opened the conference this week. In her opening address, Ritt Bjerregard stated that COP 15 needed to go “very far, very fast” and called on all the leaders to “seal the deal”.

The size of the event is a reflection of just how critical it is. This is the biggest meeting held under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). Despite its 15,000 capacity, the Bella Center in Copenhagen is bursting at the seams, with 34,000 people wanting to take part. Media accreditation has already been suspended after the 5,000 ceiling was met.

Despite some hopes for a binding deal, there is a sense of guarded optimism, because this summit is too big to fail. Despite its past in leading on fighting climate change, the European Union has now announced no increase in the cuts it is targeting. Currently the EU targets 20% emissions cuts by 2020. We were calling for an immediate increase to 30%, to encourage others to go further. The EU negotiates on behalf of the 27 member states, so its targets are our targets. It is also worth noting that there was cross party agreement on a target of 40% cuts in the National Assembly for Wales.

It was a huge blow yesterday when the EU missed an opportunity to drive forward more ambitious international targets. As Rebecca Harms, the Chair of the Greens/European Free Alliance group, said: “For a year, the EU has dangled the possibility of a 30% commitment on condition of other countries improving their pledges, yet it is still stubbornly keeping its foot on the brakes despite the fact that other countries now have pledges that are more ambitious than its own.”

Hundreds of thousands of people have been lobbying for a legally binding agreement with the target of cutting emissions by 40% by 2020. This must be done to give us any chance of preventing the catastrophic effects of the world warming by more than two degrees. Many governments have set longer term targets, but it is the immediate action we take that will be most crucial now.

As well as setting those targets for ourselves in the developed countries, governments also have to ensure that they provide the finance necessary for the poorest countries to fight climate change. Countries that are already struggling to fight poverty must be given that support over and above the aid we contribute now.

There have been long and often difficult discussions in the lead up to Copenhagen. The whole process started in 1992 at the Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro when the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change was signed by 192 countries. Its objective was to stabilise greenhouse gas emissions in the atmosphere at a level that would prevent dangerous interference with the climate. The signatories are expected to carry out actions to achieve this end. Action over the past 17 years has come nowhere close to achieving that aim.

That is why Copenhagen is so important. It is the real test of political will to prevent catastrophe. We are already seeing the effects of climate change: melting glaciers, rising sea levels and droughts. The developing countries are suffering already and will be the worst victims. But it is us, in the industrialised countries, that have created the problem and must take financial responsibility.

We should be proud of the record of the One Wales government in setting annual targets to reduce our emissions by 3% after 2011. We know now that we need more like 9% annual cuts to meet the scale of the problem but achieving the 3% is a challenge in itself, and one we can achieve. The Wales Climate Change Commission has been looking at higher options for cuts and the feasibility of implementing those too in the future. That is why Wales should have its own voice in the Copenhagen talks as part of the UK delegation.

Environment Minister Jane Davidson has already said: “80% of climate change policy will be delivered at the sub-national level – for example, in Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland and the English provinces,” adding: “Negotiators at the Copenhagen talks will ignore small nations and regions at their peril.”

Wales has a great deal to contribute to the debate as a nation that has adopted radical and far-sighted policies. The European Union, too, has led the way on getting international agreement. Political leaders have been queuing up to express their optimism and confidence that they are getting to grips with the problem of climate change. So why do so many of us feel pessimistic and fearful of the outcome?

Unfortunately, whatever spin is put on an agreement, it is hard to believe that we will be anything other than go back to business as usual after Christmas. This is a problem. We cannot solve the crisis of climate change by continuing the policies that created it in the first place. The reality of UK government policy is that renewable energy gets only a fraction of the massive subsidies that are ploughed into nuclear and fossil fuels. Banks are offered massive bailout funding to overcome a crisis of their own making while governments argue over how much they can “afford” to give to developing countries to fight climate change.

Alongside the official summit there is a Peoples’ Climate Summit taking place in Copenhagen called Klimaforum09. It will bring together NGOs, scientists, local and regional government, aid agencies and others to talk about all aspects of climate change and how to combat it. It will celebrate cultural diversity in art and music and explore what is being done and what can be done in the face of one of the greatest challenges we all face. It will look at the possible.

We have to keep up the pressure to show world leaders that we will not accept fine words without real action. I will be going to Copenhagen next week to do that. If you agree and want to add your voice to the call for action, you can send me a text at 07624 808182 and follow the results of the poll on my website.

The commitments we are calling for from governments are not unreasonable or unachievable. We have to make significant changes to our lives and communities to ensure that we take the action necessary to avert disastrous climate change. We know it can be done and I believe that people in Wales are willing to do it. We have no choice.