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In Poznań Europe’s credibility as a leader on climate change has slipped away. Commenting on the unsatisfactory conclusion of the UN negotiations on climate change Tim Jones, the World Development Movement’s Climate Policy Expert, who is currently at the talks in Poznań commented:

Overall outcome

“There has been disappointingly little progress on the agreement reached last year in Bali. Yet again rich countries, who carry the historical responsibility for climate change, have failed to offer sufficient cuts. Several, such as Australia, Japan, Canada and the United States, made no significant offers to reduce emissions before 2020.

On the EU

“By allowing huge numbers of offset credits to be used to meet its emission reduction targets, rather than actually cutting emissions, the EU risks losing credibility in calling for other countries to take strong climate action. Europe has missed an opportunity to move towards a low carbon economy and create thousands of green jobs. Instead the EU has chosen to increase offset projects in developing countries which have continually been shown to have little if any impact on emissions. Many cause social and environmental damage for poor communities.

Cuts in developing countries

“Integral to any future global deal will be money and technology from rich countries to help poor countries curb emissions growth. Before Poznań, developing countries put forward proposals on how this could be achieved. They have been met with silence. The EU and UK need to urgently bring forward fair and constructive proposals on paying for cuts in emissions in developing countries.

Outlook for Copenhagen and the developing world

“The lack of meaningful action in Poznań leaves a lot to be done in 2009. All those wanting a just climate agreement in Copenhagen in December 2009 will need to radically increase their ambitions in the New Year. No rich country, including the UK, has yet proposed anything like the action needed to stop climate change destroying the lives and livelihoods of hundreds of millions of people in coming years. Poor people across the world effectively make no contribution to climate change, but they will suffer the most from its impacts.” 

ENDS

Tim Jones, WDM’s Climate Policy Expert currently at the talks in Poznań is available for interview. London based interviews are also available.

Tim Jones, WDM Climate Policy Expert +44 (0)7515 579 671 WDM Press contact in London:

Kate Blagojevic
Press officer, World Development Movement
0207 820 4900/4913, 07711 875 345, Email:

NOTES:

1. The United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP 14) in Poznań, Poland runs from the December 1-12, 2008. The discussions are intended to pave the way for a new global deal to tackle climate change at a major international event in Copenhagen in December, 2009.
2. Read Tim's blog from the climate conference: http://poznanclimate.blogspot.com/
3. The World Development Movement campaigns to tackle the root causes of poverty. WDM believes that charity is not enough and aims to change the policies that keep the developing world poor. It is a democratic and politically independent organisation with 15,000 supporters and 70 local groups across the UK. For more information, go to www.wdm.org.uk