Prime minister attempts to move stalling political talks on global warming away from targets and towards the cost of mitigation
David Adam, guardian.co.uk 26 Jun 09;
Gordon Brown today attempted to seize the political initiative on climate change by calling for rich countries to hand over $100bn (£60bn) each year to help the developing world cope with the effects of global warming.
In a speech at London zoo, the prime minister said the cash offer was intended to break the political stalemate over a new global deal on greenhouse gas emissions. He said the "security of our planet and our humanity" rested on such a treaty being agreed at key UN negotiations in Copenhagen in December.
"Over recent years the world has woken to the reality of climate change. But the fact is that we have not yet joined together to act against it. Copenhagen must be the moment we do so," Brown said. "As always, this will involve a calculus of national and collective interests, with each yielding something for the common good."
Aides said the speech was intended to provide fresh momentum to the stalling political talks on global warming. In exchange for greater action on climate as part of a new deal, the developing world wants money to help it cut carbon emissions and adapt to a warmer world. Earlier this month, EU leaders postponed a decision on such funds until October.
Brown said: "If we are to achieve an agreement in Copenhagen, I believe we must move the debate from a stand-off over hypothetical figures to active negotiation on real mitigation actions and real contributions."
Under the plan, funding would begin in 2013 and rise to $100bn a year by 2020. The money would be raised from private and public sources, such as levies on international carbon trading schemes. Developing countries would be able to apply for funds for specific projects. "I would urge the leading developing countries to bring forward ambitious and concrete propositions ... that could be financed by these sources," Brown said.
Brown is expected to discuss the plan with world leaders including Barack Obama. Because the UK will negotiate at Copenhagen as part of the EU-bloc, the suggestion will have to be agreed in Brussels before it could be put forward as a formal offer as part of the Copenhagen negotiations.
The annual $100bn falls well short of what China and other developing nations have demanded in climate funding. The G77 group of nations has suggested that rich countries could hand over 1% of their GDP, a figure that British government sources consider unfeasible. "That's a totally unrealistic number. It doesn't even bring us to the negotiating table," one said.
Green campaigners welcomed the speech but were unhappy with the reliance on carbon markets to generate the necessary funds.
Greenpeace said: "Brown is right when he says the scale of the money on the table for the developing world will make or break Copenhagen. By becoming the first major leader to put a figure on how much money is needed he has shown signs of leadership on climate change that have so far been sorely lacking."
Rich must pay $100 bilion yearly on climate, says UK's Brown
Gerard Wynn, Reuters 26 Jun 09;
LONDON (Reuters) - Developed countries must fund a $100 billion a year fight against climate change in the developing world by 2020, British Prime Minister Gordon Brown said Friday.
Green campaigners supported the first such offer from a world leader and praised its timing two weeks before a climate summit of the 17 biggest developed and developing economies. India said the offer fell short but was something to build on.
U.N.-led talks meant to lead to a new treaty to fight climate change when representatives of 190 countries meet in Copenhagen in December have struggled on disagreement over how far rich countries should fund action in developing countries.
"I propose we take a working figure of around $100 billion per annum by 2020," Brown said in his speech at London Zoo, with a backdrop of emus and wallabies in an arid landscape, hinting at droughts scientists say await Europe without climate action.
"If we are to achieve an agreement in Copenhagen, I believe we must move the debate from a stand-off over hypothetical figures," he told foreign diplomats and public figures.
Green groups showed rare, collective enthusiasm after four years of halting global progress to agree a successor to the Kyoto Protocol after 2012.
"Politically it's very important but there's still a question on the ambition," said Keith Allott of WWF UK.
FALLING SHORT
The $100 billion figure fell far short of what many developing countries have called for. For example India has suggested that developed countries should provide 1 percent of national wealth, or GDP, and was unimpressed by Friday's offer.
"It's just a drop, but at least somebody has said something at last," said Pradipto Ghosh of New Delhi-based The Energy and Resources of Institute (TERI), and a member of the climate panel of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.
The 1 percent GDP number was an "obviously fantasy figure," a senior British government official told reporters Friday.
Brown also said a climate fund must not simply divert rich countries' existing commitments to aid overseas development.
Up to a tenth of such existing promises could be used, he proposed, where steps met both development and climate goals, for example boosting drought resistance and food yields.
Campaigners especially supported his suggestion that the $100 billion fund could be partly raised from international aviation and shipping, for example from taxing or including these sectors in emissions trading markets.
Ships and planes are exempt from carbon cuts under Kyoto. Brown also backed a Norwegian proposal to levy a charge on national emissions rights for rich countries under a new pact.
Britain wants a Copenhagen deal to commit to limit global warming to no more than 2 degrees Celsius by, for example, setting a goal for global greenhouse gas emissions to stop rising by 2020.
(Additional reporting by Krittivas Mukherjee in New Delhi; Editing by Louise Ireland)
