The UK has today kick-started a renewed push for a global climate deal as the Prime Minister co-chairs the most significant climate meeting since Copenhagen.
The UN Secretary-General’s High Level Advisory Group on Climate Finance to be held in Downing Street, will involve three heads of government, two finance ministers, Barack Obama’s chief economic adviser Larry Summers, and other key figures such as George Soros and Nick Stern.
The group will look at how the world will deliver on its commitment to provide $100bn of public and private finance a year by 2020.
The Government has also outlined more support for the UK’s own low carbon transition with funding for renewables development and a consultation to ensure workers and businesses are prepared to take advantage of the growing need for green skills.
The Government is also setting out its plans to breathe new life into efforts to get a legally binding global treaty.
Energy and Climate Change Secretary Ed Miliband said: “We’ve got to dust ourselves down and kick-start efforts to get a global deal, get the climate finance flowing and make sure the cuts promised by countries happen.
“We need to do this, not just for environmental reasons, but also for economic ones. In the UK, strategic intervention by the Government is unlocking green investment and generating jobs for the future. Low carbon growth will be stronger, and businesses will have greater certainty, when the world agrees to a legally binding deal.”
Today’s announcements include: A new action plan on international climate change (‘Beyond Copenhagen: The UK Government’s International Climate Change Action Plan’), which shows what must be done to build on the progress made at Copenhagen. The plan sets out the Government’s belief that the low carbon transformation can be a major driver of economic growth and job creation – in the UK, in Europe and globally.
In it the UK Government makes clear that:
* It wants to build on the strengths of the Kyoto Protocol, and is open to extending that agreement as a way of getting the legal deal we need.
* It is in favour of strengthening the UN decision making process that was so frustrating at Copenhagen.
* It is pushing for the EU to increase its plans to cut emissions in line with comparable moves elsewhere, which is why we are supporting the European Commission’s work to identify the practical steps that would be required to implement a 30% target.
The Action Plan builds on the Copenhagen Accord, in which countries have put forward actions that, if delivered in full, would see global emissions peak before 2020, a key step towards achieving our 2 degrees goal.
A consultation on a new low carbon skills strategy which includes co-funding the delivery of up to 2,500 apprenticeships in the emerging wind energy sector, in line with the sector’s ambition for the size of its workforce in 2017. The joint consultation document produced with the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills sets out what the Government knows about the scale and nature of the low-carbon skills challenge, what it's already doing to tackle it, and seeks views on what more needs to happen.
This follows the Government’s commitment to co-fund the delivery of up to 1,000 apprenticeships per year in the nuclear energy sector in the light of a report by Cogent, the Sector Skills Council for Nuclear Energy.
Further Education and Skills Minister Kevin Brennan said: "One year on from our New Industry New Jobs commitment to drive growth in new sectors, we are continuing to invest in the skills and markets that are so vital to the UK's economy: especially low carbon.
"This is why we are talking to employers to understand their needs and why, with them, we are co-funding 2,500 apprenticeships in wind energy.
"We have listened to specialists and to the public and we will continue to listen through today's consultation on low carbon skills. We remain, as ever, dedicated to a low-carbon economy and to giving people the chance to get into a new career in a new industries."
Further measures to support the development of the renewables industry in the UK. This includes £4 million as part of a landmark partnership between DECC, Ministry of Defence, The Crown Estate and four wind farm developers, to fund a new radar for the Greater Wash that will address interference that can be associated with older types of radar.
This will allow the construction of one wind farm (Sheringham Shoal) and remove one of the barriers in considering the consent applications of other wind farms, as well as potentially a further 4-6GW offshore wind under Round 3 of the Crown Estate’s leasing for offshore wind development. A grant of £750,000 is also awarded for test facilities for micro wind turbines.
Last week Siemens, Mitsubishi and General Electric decided to locate manufacturing facilities in the UK, confirming the UK as the world’s top destination for offshore wind energy investment. This followed the Budget announcement of £60 million to develop sites close to ports suitable for turbine manufacturing, and the new £2 billion Green Investment Bank. Strategic intervention by the Government is unlocking this investment, generating a new industrial sector in the UK that could employ a high skilled workforce of 70,000 by 2020.
The Government has also today became the first in the world to publish plans that will set out how every major department will address the challenge of climate change in the UK. The Carbon Reduction Delivery and Adaptation Plans detail each department’s commitment to minimise the damage of climate change, by reducing emissions and by preparing for inevitable change in the UK climate.
The moves to inject new momentum into global efforts to tackle the climate crisis deserve an “A plus” for enthusiasm but must be matched with bold action, Christian Aid warned.
Melanie Ward, the development agency’s Senior UK Political Adviser, said: “Today’s government announcements are a step towards a fair, ambitious and binding international climate deal.
“The positive language, however, needs to be matched by the necessary political choices. These include using international finance to support clean development in poor countries, rather than more dirty coal power stations, and demanding much deeper cuts in EU emissions levels.
‘We warmly welcome the government’s recognition that the only existing climate treaty, the Kyoto Protocol, must be kept in order to cut emissions and build trust between rich and poor countries.
“We are also pleased that Gordon Brown has acknowledged the importance of generating the money developing countries need to help them cope with climate change, and is co-chairing the United Nations’ High-Level Advisory Group on Climate Change Financing, which is meeting in London today.’
Ms Ward’s comments came after the Department for Energy and Climate Change released its new International Climate Change Action Plan.
One important test of the government’s commitment on climate change will present itself next week, she added, when the World Bank will vote on whether to lend $3.75 billion to South Africa for the building of one of the world's biggest new coal-fired power stations
Campaigners in South Africa say that instead of providing power to communities that at present do not have electricity, most of the electricity generated will go to large scale foreign-owned metal industries.
Bishop Geoff Davies, Executive Director of the South African Faith Communities’ Environmental Institute has criticised the plans saying: “It would be wrong morally, economically, socially and ecologically for South Africa to be given a World Bank loan to continue its investment in coal-fired energy technology.’
“The Government must put its money where its mouth is, and vote against the proposal,” said Ward.
She added that ministers must also insist on the EU committing to cut its emissions by more than 30 per cent by 2020, whether or not other rich countries are prepared to make comparable cuts.
“Without such cuts, the world has no hope of keeping the global temperature rise below 2oC,’ she warned. ‘Nor will the EU be able to win developing countries’ trust, which will be vital in order to achieve a new international deal on climate change.”
Relief and development agency Tearfund also welcomed the government’s plans to revitalise the international climate negotiations, Beyond Copenhagen: The UK Government’s International Climate Change Action Plan.
However, they point out there is scant mention of adaptation in the Government’s Action Plan.
“Adaptation is crucial for the poorest and most vulnerable countries, already experiencing the impact of climate change,”said Paul Cook, Tearfund’s Advocacy Director. “They will bear the brunt of climate impacts caused by current weak emissions cuts pledged in the Copenhagen Accord.
He continued: “Tearfund is particularly concerned that funds for adaptation are not plundered to compensate oil rich countries for their lost revenues, which could happen under the terms of the Copenhagen Accord. The UK needs a strategy to ensure this does not happen.”
Tearfund welcomed steps in the Action Plan that included the UK’s commitment to a second term of the Kyoto Protocol, if other nations commit to a similar parallel treaty. The future of Kyoto was a toxic issue at the Copenhagen talks last December, and this move from the UK could be a step towards unlocking the differences between developed and developing nations.
“We applaud the UK Government’s continued prioritisation of the international climate talks, and their vision of a clean, prosperous low carbon economy for the UK, Europe, and the world,” said Cook.
“However, the document stops short of advocating an immediate unconditional move by the EU to 30% emissions cuts by 2020 (on 1990 levels) - a crucial way to demonstrate their confidence in Europe’s clean energy future.”
Also today in London, the High Level Advisory Group on international climate change financing, co-chaired by Gordon Brown and Ethiopian Prime Minister, Menes Zelawi, is best chance for progress on climate finance, according to Tearfund.
“With its political clout the group can play a critical role in unlocking finance from developed countries to support poor and vulnerable countries in tackling climate change,” said Paul Cook.
He added: “There are some great ideas that could generate the huge sums of money needed, for example the Robin Hood Tax. But crucially, its work must feed back into the international negotiations as they get back on track this year.”
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