1 Introduction
1. In 1992 154 countries joined a treaty to "cooperatively
consider what they could do to limit average global temperature
increases and the resulting climate change, and to cope with whatever
impacts were, by then, inevitable."[1]
This was called the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate
Change (UNFCCC).
2. In 2011 the 17th Conference of the
Parties (COP17) of the UNFCCC in Durban, South Africa, agreed
the "Durban Platform for Enhanced Action".[2]
This launched a new process within the UNFCCC: "to develop
a protocol, another legal instrument or an agreed outcome with
legal force [
] applicable to all Parties".[3]
WWF-UK described this as a "major breakthrough" as "for
the first time, all countries have agreed to be brought under
one legally binding framework to address climate change."[4]
It is expected that this new agreement will be adopted at COP21
in 2015, and will be implemented from 1 January 2020. A new Ad
Hoc Working Group is currently preparing the framework for negotiations.
3. The UK's ambition to reduce its emissions by 80%
by 2050, legislated for in the Climate Change Act 2008, shows
climate leadershiprather than trying to do the minimum
the UK and the EU are sending out the right signal that this should
be a race for increased ambition.[5]
4. The Committee heard from Professor Sir David King,
former chief scientific adviser to the Government, that one of
the key assets the UK has is the consensus among all three major
political parties on the need to manage climate change. As pointed
out by Sir David, "One of the saddest things about the development
of the political situation around climate change in the United
States is that it has been politicised, and one of the great advantages
of the British system is that we have all three major parties
fully in agreement on managing the issue of climate change."
[6]
5. The EU needs as many allies in its negotiating
position as possible. Australia is a valuable new ally, as it
will bring a group of other nations with it. However it is critically
important to foster alliances with Brazil, China, India and South
Africa. The key issue for these economies and other developing
nations is finding an equitable solution to climate change.[7]
6. The UK Government has not engaged sufficiently
with the public on the details of how the UK's emission reduction
targets could be achieved. For example, more could be done to
convince the public that decarbonising electricity generation
and electrifying transport will, in the long term, be financially
beneficial. Sir David commented that "We need a clear statement
from the Cabinet that this is the right way forward.".[8]
This is partly because the UK's North Sea oil resources are depleting
and the country will have to turn increasingly to potentially
costly imports. This message needs to come from Government.[9]
In addition, as well as benefiting the UK economy, this would
give "muscle" to the UK's negotiating position.[10]
1 UNFCCC, Background on UNFCCC: The international response
to climate change, http://unfccc.int/essential_background/items/6031.php Back
2
UNFCCC, Establishment of an Ad Hoc Working Group on the Durban
Platform for Enhanced Action http://unfccc.int/files/meetings/durban_nov_2011/decisions/application/pdf/cop17_durbanplatform.pdf Back
3
UNFCCC, Establishment of an Ad Hoc Working Group on the Durban
Platform for Enhanced Action, Article 2 Back
4
Ev 74 Back
5
Q 85 [Sir David King] Back
6
Q 101 [Sir David King] Back
7
Q95 [Sir David King] Back
8
Q 92 [Sir David King] Back
9
Q 92 Back
10
Q 93 Back
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