Miliband: long-term international framework and goal sought to combat climate change

Environment Secretary David Miliband today stressed the urgent need for a global debate on the scale and type of action needed to combat climate change.

One year on from the breakthrough G8 Summit at Gleneagles, Mr Miliband said it was vital that the international community reached an agreement on the long-term goal for stabilising climate change, adding that a shared sense of urgency and a goal would drive forward action and provide the certainty needed by governments and for business investment decisions.

He added that as a result of the UK's leadership on climate change during its G8 and EU Presidencies, there was now an international framework in place to help deliver the drive to speed up research, development and deployment of new and existing low-carbon technologies over the next generation.

And he said the study by Sir Nick Stern – set up by Prime Minister Tony Blair – on the review of the economics of climate change would help stimulate the debate on the action needed and the costs of doing it, and of failing to take action. The Stern Review will be published ahead of the meeting of the Energy and Environment Ministers of the 20 Gleneagles Dialogue countries in October in Mexico.

Mr Miliband said:

“Scientists told us at our Exeter Science conference last year that if temperatures rise above two degrees Celsius the risk of dangerous and irreversible effects on the world's climate is high. We now urgently need to broaden the discussion and launch a global debate on the scale of action needed.

“We need a share sense of urgency and a goal that can drive action. We know that global emissions will need to peak and start to decline in one to two decades to avoid the risk of these dangerous impacts.

“The framework must have measurable outcomes that deliver the goal by driving investment in global research, development and deployment of low carbon technology. It must offer a menu of actions for government to reflect their different circumstances. Above all, it must include all major countries, including the US and the leading developing economies

“We need mechanisms that can operate at business level, such as emissions trading, that were set up by the Kyoto Protocol. But we also need a better and more sensitive set of mechanisms that can help deliver a wider range of commitments from countries. Action must be compatible with economic growth,” he added.

Mr Miliband described the outcomes obtained at Gleneagles last July as a “significant breakthrough” in terms of driving forward the international climate change debate. Achievements over the past year included:

•  Winning the debate about the science: the G8 leaders' statement that “we know enough to act now” and their commitment to do so “with resolve and urgency” has put to bed years of prevarication based on scientific uncertainty

•  Laid the foundations – through the G8 Action Plan and the Gleneagles Dialogue among major energy using countries – of a new partnership of trust and cooperation between the developed and developing countries

•  Breathed fresh momentum into the stalled multilateral negotiations on international climate change action. The Montreal Climate Conference agreement to launch discussions on future action was a major breakthrough unimaginable 12 months earlier.

•  Launching with our key allies within the EU a drive on adaptation and technology working with developing countries – the EU China and EU-India partnerships launched by the UK are the first steps.

•  Co-hosted with Japan a programme of workshops to identify how deep cuts in emissions might be achieved by 2050.

Mr Miliband accepted that UK international leadership was crucially dependent on continuing leadership at home, as highlighted in the Climate Change Programme.

“No one can argue that the UK is not showing leadership in reducing our emissions. Very few other countries can show our combination of projected deep cuts in greenhouse gas emissions, which will take us to between 23-25 per cent below 1990 levels. We have stressed that while we are not fully on track for our 2010 carbon dioxide goal, the Climate Change Programme Review will not be the last word.

“The Energy Review will map out the next steps towards our 60 per cent goal for 2050. No other country has such a comprehensive short and long-term strategy, backed up by real measures.

“And we are also a world leader on adaptation. Again, no other country has taken such steps to project and plan for the effects of climate change across all sectors of the economy. The UK's work on adaptation is ground breaking and is benefiting other countries, including developing nations.”

Notes to editors

1. The G8 Summit at Gleneagles took place between July 6-9, 2005. Details of the package of agreements are available on the G8 website at www.g8.gov.uk
2. Details of other climate change initiatives are available from Defra's climate change pages at www.defra.gov.uk/environment/climatechange/internat/index.htm
3. Both the World Bank and the International Energy Agency are playing key roles in delivering the Gleneagles Plan of Action and the Gleneagles Dialogue. The work of the World Bank in mainstreaming climate change into “climate resilient” planning and investment decisions as part of their Energy Investment Framework, plays an important role under the Gleneagles Plan of Action. The International Energy Agency has recently released a major new book, “Energy Technology Perspectives: Scenarios and Strategies to 2050”. The book is a response to the call from the G8 Gleneagles Summit last year for the IEA to advise on scenarios and strategies aimed at a clean, clever and competitive energy future.

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