Government plans G8 climate strategy
July 3, 2009
As the Government sets out its detailed position prior to global climate talks, Ed Miliband, the Climate and Energy Secretary, said that now was the make or break time for our climate and our future.
With less than six months to go before the climate change negotiations in Copenhagen, the Government has outlined why, in its opinion, an agreement on climate change is vital for the world. It has also specified what it perceives as the essential elements of such an agreement, namely that it should be:
- ambitious — ie, limit global warming to 2° by ensuring global greenhouse gas emissions peak and begin to fall by 2020, and continue falling thereafter so that they reach half of their 1990 levels by 2050
- effective — bind countries to their commitments through strong monitoring, reporting and verification requirements
- fair — assist the poorest countries to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions and adapt to the unavoidable effects of climate change
The Government's statement also makes the point that success in Copenhagen is vital for Britain's economic and national security. The "low-carbon" sector in the UK now employs over 800,000 people and it is predicted that, by the middle of the next decade, this number could increase to well over one million.
In publishing the Government's global climate manifesto, The Road to Copenhagen, Ed Miliband said the world had no option but to co-operate to secure a global climate deal that works.
Print this page
Pro Enviro Ltd, 8 Davy Court, Central Park, Rugby, Warwickshire, CV23 0UZ, UK