Climate week

The UN Secretary General has brought together Presidents and Prime Ministers to spur on the Copenhagen negotiations. Yesterday in New York they were discussing impacts on climate change in their own countries and mitigation measure- they will also be addressing the difficult issue of adaptation. On Thursday, Ministers from the G20 will be meeting in Pittsburg to discuss financing for mitigation and adaptation.

Dale Marshall, the David Suzuki Foundation's climate change policy analyst, is attending the Un meeting in New York this week, and then continues on to track the negotiations.

Once again, Canada is dragging its feet on climate issues, and isn't sending the Prime Minister to represent Canada at these vital meetings.


Climate week- Will the Prime Minister step up?

By Dale Marshall

Prime Minister Harper has a tremendous opportunity before him this week. Two meetings will bring together presidents and prime ministers to address global warming. On Tuesday, the Secretary General of the United Nations, Ban Ki Moon, is hosting dialogue on climate change with all the world's leaders invited. Later this week, G20 leaders meet in Pittsburg, and President Obama made it clear that he wants this meeting to address how industrialized countries will provide resources to finance global warming solutions in the developing world.

That important climate-related meetings present an "opportunity" has almost become cliche. But this week- many are calling it Climate Week-is the last time that the Prime Minister will meet world leaders to discuss climate change before the UN Climate Summit in December. That meeting in Copenhagen represents a deadline for the international community to forge a global agreement to tackle climate change.

Ban Ki Moon laid out the challenges very clearly in a communique to global leaders that asked them to answer four crucial questions when they meet in New York (the world's countries have been randomly assigned to one of eight groups to do this). The first question asks for each leader's vision on what the future of the planet will look like and what it will take to reach this.


The other three ask what those leaders will do now, in the next three months, and in Copenhagen to guide negotiations, take action, and ensure that summit delivers a strong agreement.

They are poignant questions. The Secretary General understands that world leaders have made no long-term commitments for 2050 and beyond - commitments to avoid dangerous climate change, to limit global warming to no more than 2 degrees Celsius on average - that have not been matched by commitments to take action now and over the coming years. The gap between his first question and the last three is the bridge that we need global leaders to build.

The Canadian government should feel particularly sheepish, given that the prime minister has made the 2 degree commitment, at this year's G8, and then had his environment minister promptly declare that it means no change to short - term commitments or action on global warming.

So yes, this is an opportunity for Prime Minister Harper to finally join the leaders on climate change, to step up and say that our country is ready to take greater action now, avert dangerous climate change, and assist developing countries to also take action. If the prime minister continues to oppose these measures, he should expect some tough questions from leaders he will be meeting in his roundtable, who are from countries who are the most vulnerable to climate change (Ethiopia, Nigeria and Coromos), who might even be swallowed up by rising oceans ( the Maldives, Marshall Islands, and Micronesia) or have its rain forests turned to savanna (Brazil, Peru, And Ecuador).

Maybe he'll even face some tough questioning from Canadians.

Source:

The David Suzuki Foundation http://www.davidsuzuki.org

 

 

Climate Week Update: David Suzuki Foundation reacts to Canada's performance in New York

Statement from Dale Marshall, Climate change policy analyst September 22, 2009
"Presidents and prime ministers met here in New York.
These are people who make decisions on behalf of the world's citizens. It was an opportunity for Canada's Prime Minister and other leaders to embrace opportunities in the clean energy economy and at the same time take responsibility for our impact on the environment.

However, Canada's Prime Minister was missing in action in New York. Instead, Canada sent our Minister of Environment in his place. In contrast, President Obama, Prime Minister Brown of the UK, France's President Sarkozy, and President Hu Jintao of China all showed their leadership by joining with other world leaders to confront climate change. The new Japanese president committed to science-based targets for emission reductions and substantial, new, and additional funding for the developing world.

Climate change is a serious threat to our prosperity and our future. But, the greatest threat is inaction. Our country is falling behind in achieving the targets scientists tell us we need to reach to avoid runaway climate change.
Canada's performance in New York was a missed opportunity. At the UN Climate Summit this December Canada needs to take part in delivering commitments to action that will promote clean energy and prosperity at home and around the world."

Dale Marshall, Climate Change Policy Analyst, David Suzuki Foundation


Source:
The David Suzuki Foundation http://www.davidsuzuki.org


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