29 January 2010
As the 31 January deadline for countries to submit their
Copenhagen emissions targets looms, Dr Gavin Strang MP spoke at a
meeting in Portobello this evening about the need for action to tackle
global warming. Gavin Strang MP said:
‘Was the Copenhagen summit a victory or a defeat?
‘For all of us who had hoped for commitments on emissions and a
clear timetable for a legal treaty, the outcome was a
disappointment. But we must not allow that to spell defeat
for our efforts to combat climate change.
‘The need for action is clear. We can argue about the
timescale – will Bangladesh be confronted with the need for
massive human relocation in this century or the next?
But we know that the overwhelming view amongst scientific experts is
that global warming is happening and that it is very likely that most
of the global temperature increase in the last 60 years or so has been
caused by human activity.
‘Tackling climate change means changing the way that we do things
– the way that we run our economy and the way that we live our
lives. The transport and energy sectors come quickly to
mind.
‘There will be costs associated with some of the changes that we
must make, but the benefits of strong early action would considerably
outweigh the costs, and those costs would be manageable.
The evidence for this is in Lord Stern’s valuable
report.
‘On the other hand, if we do not act, the human, ecological and
economic cost of climate change could be enormous.
‘While Copenhagen was a disappointment, a step forward was
taken. Many key countries, including the US, China, Brazil,
India and Russia signed up to an agreement – the Copenhagen
Accord.
‘The Copenhagen Accord accepted some important principles,
including a limit on the global temperature increase to below 2 degrees
C and funding for developing countries from the advanced economies.
‘As a first step, under the terms of the Accord, developed
countries must submit their 2020 carbon reduction targets by this
Sunday, January 31st. Developing nations must set out their
carbon emission reduction plans.
‘The UK has been urging all countries, including the United States, to submit the best possible 2020 targets.
‘Tackling climate change needs international action.
Action as well as targets. We must lead from the
front.’
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