Copenhagen UN Climate Change Conference

Posted on 07/12/09 by Seán Fleming

Over the next two weeks, 15,000 environment ministers, officials and campaigners will come together in Copenhagen for the 15th UN Climate Change Conference to work out a successor to the Kyoto Protocol with the expressed aim of reaching a strong "political agreement" on ambitious new targets for emissions reductions.

The Minister for the Environment, John Gormley TD, will lead the Irish delegation at this much anticipated meeting of 190 nations from around the world, an event that will hopefully become a defining moment in history.

While there were many contributory factors to the severity of the recent flooding in Ireland, one factor that cannot be ignored is the impact of climate change. For the first time climate change became an issue close to home with very real and visible consequences.

It is very welcome news that US president Barack Obama has confirmed his attendance at the conference. His presence will be needed particularly in the final few days when the most critical aspects of the agreement are hammered out and agreed upon. While the support of all nations is essential to a successful successor to Kyoto, the support of the US and China are particularly critical.

Europe has already adopted a 20% greenhouse gas emissions reduction target by 2020 compared to the figure for 1990 and committed to step up to a 30% target subject to two conditions, that other developed countries commit themselves to achieving comparable reductions and that developing countries contribute adequately.

There will of course be a financial cost to achieving these new higher targets on global emission reductions. A financial package in the order of €100 billion a year will be needed by 2020. However, there is no doubt that the financial cost will be far greater in the long term if we don’t tackle it now.

I agree with Minister Gormley that monies used to ensure emmissions targets are met, should be completely separate from money assigned to the overseas development budget. We must continue to achieve the millennium development goals alongside our goals for tackling climate change.

The first phase of the Kyoto protocol is due to expire in 2012. Therefore, it is essential a new framework for tackling global warming is agreed upon in Copenhagen. As the past few weeks have shown us Ireland, it is in all our interests to work with other nations to ensure climate change is tackled as effectively and as soon as possible.

The next two weeks also offers an opportunity for us all to assess the role each one of us can play in contributing to a low carbon economy, particularly by changing the way in which we shop, eat, travel and the amount of fuel we use. 


Seán Fleming is TD for Laois-Offaly and Chairman of the Joint Oireachtas Committee on the Environment. 

 

 

 

 

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