Time is running out for a global deal on climate change. The climate is already changing and the opportunity to influence future temperature rises is narrow. As Climate and Energy Secretary, Ed Miliband, put it: “This is a make or break time for our climate.”
The government has set out an ambitious plan for a radical settlement at the climate change summit due to be held in Copenhagen in December. The key challenge will be to come up with an international agreement to limit global average temperature rises to no more than 2°C above the level it was before the industrial revolution. Many scientists think that target is too optimistic and we have already crossed the line where significant changes will occur and that the real challenge is about how we adapt to these new conditions.
The publication of the government’s roadmap to Copenhagen is in part a response to the urgency of the situation. It is both a presentation of the government’s priorities for the negotiations and a call to arms to help create wider political support for the kind of changes we want to see. The plan sets out priorities for clear action to reduce emissions, support poorer countries in preparing for the effects of climate change, developing and sharing new technology, protecting the loss of forests and – vitally – agreement of how all these changes will be paid for. The priorities are international in outlook and based on a sharp understanding of the need for a fair and just settlement for developing countries. It is easy to see its roots in Labour values.
There has been a renewal of the case for investment in environmental industries and green jobs over the last few years spurred on by greater understanding of the changes demanded by climate change. Investment in new industries will be essential in rebuilding our economy out of recession and in setting new standards in low carbon expectations. Recent announcements by Labour ministers on smart metering, carbon capture and storage, support for the London Array and off-shore wind, and the implementation of legally binding carbon budgets have raised the bar on government action; although there are some notable issues, such as aviation, that still need addressing.
The second part of the challenge set out by Ed Miliband is the call for a popular movement to lead and demand greater change. Whilst climate change doesn’t yet possess the same power to mobilise activism in the same way as the global development movement did in Make Poverty History, its reach into poverty and injustice is just as great. We need a broader debate and wider appeal to help create the momentum for a successful outcome in Copenhagen. Already trade unions and green groups are coming together, as in the Jobs, Justice and Climate march in April or the ‘tck tck tck’ web portal (http://tcktcktck.org/). But we need to do more to unite community and political action and help persuade public opinion of our case.
Copenhagen is also as much about foreign policy as it is about carbon emissions, which is why we need to demonstrate political support beyond our domestic boundaries. This time round we don’t have to worry about George Bush or John Howard undermining international support. But we do need an agreement that binds in China and Russia, as well as ensures equity between the developed and developing nations. It calls for a progressive internationalism, backed up a political commitment to provide the finance needed to ensure a fair transition. The challenge of getting international agreement on these principles underlines the need for a loud, organised and vibrant campaign both at home and in other countries to force the pace of the negotiations.
It is little wonder that the Tories would rather gossip about the new Speaker than focus on the challenges facing us on climate change. The reality is that they have nothing to say. The ‘Go green, vote blue’ slogan has been packed up and the pictures of David Cameron with the huskies taken off the wall. The only response the Tories have produced in recent weeks has been to finally ditch their mainstream European colleagues in the EPP and join a new rag-tag bunch of Euro-extremists. Hardly good news when the European Union will be key negotiators at the summit.
It is far too easy to be cynical at the moment about the ability of politics to transform society and be a positive force for good. Labour’s approach to climate change should be a timely reminder about what can be achieved by the strength of our common endeavour. Of course, there are areas of environmental policy still to be contested, but there is also a bigger fight to ensure that we achieve an effective and just global outcome on climate change.