Climate Change: no more room for scepticism

Part of my role is dedicated to international negotiations on climate change, and the science used to feed the policy discussions has equal importance.

That said, I have spent quite a lot of time over the past fortnight going through the findings of the first volume of the IPCC’s Fifth Assessment Report, published on 27 September, and of great importance to the UK. It shows that the majority of available scientific evidence confirms that not only is climate change already happening, but it is also most likely due to anthropogenic activity.

Leaders from across the globe acknowledged the IPCC’s work, and our Foreign Secretary stated:

“The IPCC’s report makes clear that unless we act now to reduce carbon emissions, all this will continue to worsen in coming decades. Governments, businesses and individuals all have a responsibility to tackle climate change.”

The evidence is unequivocal, but what is the policy world doing to address it?

One could argue that the policy actions required to match the scientific urgency of climate change is still running behind – sometimes even those who work on climate policy question its progress (!). For years countries have been coming together under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) to negotiate solutions to mitigate the effects of climate change.

But we have entered a new phase for climate policy, where the scepticism around the science is becoming increasingly scarce. Policymakers generally agree on the existence and impacts of climate change and the need to take action, albeit to different degrees.

In the international negotiations, the Second Commitment period of the Kyoto Protocol will end in 2020, and countries are expected to sign off a Global Deal in 2015 to come into effect in 2020. During the 16^th Conference of the Parties (COP) in Cancun in 2010, members agreed to commit to a maximum temperature increase of 2°C above pre-industrial levels.

It is therefore extremely important that we work towards ensuring the best possible agreement over the next two years, and this is a top priority for us. An ambitious deal would be one which has binding commitments for all members, taking into consideration not only emissions but also individual countries’ capabilities to respond.

And what is the UK doing on climate change?

In 2008, the UK set a legally binding target to reduce its greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by at least 80% (1990 baseline) by 2050.

This is being made possible through the implementation of integrated climate and energy legislation and matching market-based instruments. Internationally, the UK has also been helping developing countries to mitigate and adapt to climate change, mainly through our International Climate Fund (ICF), which has already allocated £2.9 billion.

Through our Diplomatic Network in Brazil, we have also been working closely with Brazil on climate change, via the ICF as well as other cooperation mechanisms.

At the moment, our team in London will have all eyes towards this year’s COP which will take place in Warsaw, Poland. The conference will be important for agreeing the elements and timescale in the run up to 2015, and to make sure we have a substantive and credible agreement then. I will be part of the UK delegation in Warsaw and hope to keep you updated on the developments from there.