APPENDIX 17
Supplementary memorandum submitted by
GCI
Since providing the previous evidence to the
EAC, several developments have occurred that GCI would like to
bring to the attention of the Committee:
1. COP-10 UNFCCC DECEMBER
2004 BUENOS AIRES
— This was an event marked by two things:—the
first was Ratification of the completely inadequate Kyoto Protocol
by Russia thus bringing it into force on 16 February 2005; the
second was the continued refusal of the parties to commit even
to discussions of adequate global arrangements, let alone the
arrangements themselves.
— There was an agreement to a further meeting
16-17 May with a tentative agenda http://unfccc.int/files/parties_and_observers/notifications/application/pdf/notice_po_050216.pdf
2. URGENCY/DESPAIR
FROM THE
HADLEY CENTRE
CONFERENCE
— Evidence of accelerated rates of climate
change was presented at the government's stabilisation-2005 conference
at the Hadley Centre in February.
— This evidence http://www.stabilisation2005.com/outcomes.html
was considered so alarming by several UK journalists covering
the event, that they publicly took the view afterwards that "the
earth was finished": http://www.gci.org.uk/articles/Tablet.pdf
.
— This in turn aroused a very considerable
counter-blast calling for "Contraction and Convergence"
(C&C) from the media watchdog media lens, which was picked
up in the US media: http://www.axisoflogic.com/artman/publish/article_15998.shtml
3. DEFRA AND
WHITEHALL C&C ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
— Publication of opinion about "Contraction
and Convergence" (C&C) by Defra and the FCO: http://www.gci.org.uk/briefings/DEFRA_FCO.pdf
usefully acknowledged that C&C was a clear example of a "full-term"
framework.
— This reflects Defra's observation at
the time of publishing the Energy White Paper that their work
builds on C&C as presented by the RCEP page 13: http://www.defra.gov.uk/environment/climatechange/ewpscience/ewp_targetscience.pdf
— This assists the clear C&C position
taken by DFID last 24 November: http://www.gci.org.uk/speeches/Hilary_Benn.pdf
— It assists the position taken by IPPR
in its new report, "Putting Our House in Order": http://www.gci.org.uk/briefings/Putting_Our_House_in_Order.pdf
— It assists the clear C&C position
constructed by the meeting of Africa Environment Ministers at
the Climate Change conference in Nairobi on the 24 February. http://www.gci.org.uk/briefings/African_Priorities_2005.pdf
and Ministerial statement http://www.gci.org.uk/speeches/Musyoka_Kenya_Minister_2005.pdf
4. THE CHURCH
OF ENGLAND
— In February the Church of England published
a C&C advocacy briefing "Sharing God's Planet":
http://www.cofe.anglican.org/about/gensynod/agendas/gs1558.pdf
and then passed a C&C resolution at Synod http://www.cofe.anglican.org/about/gensynod/agendas/bdfeb05thursdaypm.rtf
— The Catholic Institute of International
Relations published a C&C advocacy document at the same time:
http://www.ciir.org/shared_asp_files/uploadedfiles/5F3ACAB1-5BB4-4BF3-AC76-E942193DE853_climatechangeleaflet.pdf
5. CITY OF
LONDON
— In February the Corporation of London
awarded Aubrey Meyer a life-time's achievement award, "in
recognition of an outstanding personal contribution to combating
climate change at an international level through his efforts to
enhance the understanding and adoption of the principle of Contraction
and Convergence. "
6. BYERS REPORT
— Coinciding with the above, the International
Task Force on Climate Change convened by Stephen Byers MP published
a C&C advocacy report in all but name advocating convergence
to equal per capita emissions rights globally under a stringent
cap: http://www.tai.org.au/Publications_Files/Papers&Sub_Files/Meeting%20the%20Climate%20Challenge%20FV.pdf
— A considerable array of literature based
on C&C has been published contemporary with all this urging
a variety of complex, confused, extreme and largely unworkable
"alternative" convergence procedures.
— However, simplicity and diplomacy demands
a recognition that the answer as agreed in Kyoto by major parties
to the debate is that:
7. THE USA "BYRD
HAGEL RESOLUTION"
IS C&C BY
DEFINITION
— Byrd Hagel http://www.nationalcenter.org/KyotoSenate.html
and C&C.
— http://www.gci.org.uk/briefings/C&C&ByrdHagel.pdf
is the only conceivable basis upon which a meaningful and effective
consensus can now be built internationally to avoid globally dangerous
rates of climate change and achieve prosperity with security.
This formulation is the science-based precautionary template required
by the UNFCCC with the global inclusivity rightly demanded by
the US and the rights-based equity rightly demanded by Developing
Countries. It is the global capping or carbon-enclosure of emissions
that necessarily precedes the global trading of the entitlements
to these.
— Our collective failure to establish this
C&C-compliance prefigures drift into the nightmare conditions
described in the Pentagon Report: http://www.ems.org/climate/pentagon_climate_
change.html
8. ADVOCACY POINTS
— GCI urges the Environmental Audit Committee
of the House of Commons to use the political capital of the C&C
campaign—the recent evidence shown here and the accumulated
evidence in GCI's earlier submissions—to make firm recommendations
to HM Government and its agencies of Government.
— These are that internationally, we are
on the eve of an historic opportunity. Tony Blair's role as Chairman
of the G-8 and President of the European Union at this time, give
him the position to fulfil his commitments to Africa and to us
all to preventing the tragedy of unabated climate change, and
making history by now establishing C&C as the over-arching
framework within which this and the eradication of poverty will
be achieved.
— The practical and achievable cross-party
expression of this domestically is the exemplary proposals to
establish Domestic Tradable Carbon Quotas by Colin Challen MP,
and attention to this programme should be promoted as part of
the forthcoming election agenda forthwith.
9 March 2005
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