David Miliband

Foreign Secretary

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Friday 12 June, 2009

A Greener World

Last Friday was World Environment Day  and our Posts organised events ranging from raising awareness in China , to encouraging a Walk and Ride Day in Amman, to green themed events such as that recently held in Buenos Aires .

Our commitment to the environment also extends to managing our global operations more sustainably.  It involves all our Posts setting up Green Teams, calculating their carbon footprint and implementing energy saving initiatives such as installing solar panels for hot water and purchasing fuel efficient vehicles. Our Embassy in Zagreb has just installed a green roof  that provides better thermal and sound installation, attracts city wildlife and is a visible demonstration of the FCO's approach to reducing its carbon emissions.
 
The big vision is an accelerated shift towards a low carbon high growth global economy  We want to see an ambitious international agreement to reduce global carbon emissions this December in Copenhagen, vital if we are to keep average temperature increases within two degrees of pre-industrial levels. The FCO is working both bilaterally and at global meetings to persuade international partners to take on emissions reductions targets and also, where possible, to finance environmental measures in developing countries.

Posted at 15:59 12 June 2009 by David Miliband  |  Comments[7]

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An international agreement? Even national agreement is difficult. For example the political commitment to reduce carbon emissions can change so often that prospective builders of nuclear power stations often demand big loan guarantees before they start construction. In fact the opposition in general to clean energy in the US is frighteningly intense - opponents have gathered a budget of hundreds of millions of dollars to fight proposals from the present government.

Posted by Slightly Optimistic on June 14, 2009 at 04:08 PM BST #

Dear Mr. Now is time that you and all other politicians especially in Europe who have been looking for democracy in Iran, take an action: Supporting Iranian movement, by not accepting Mr. Ahmadinejad, as the legal president of Iran. Kind Regards Effat

Posted by Effat on June 15, 2009 at 02:35 PM BST #

hi David, I don't think anyone is in disagreement about the need to cut pollution and global gas emissions - but this "carbon tax" - a way by which rich corporations can buy their right to pollute the environment, is surely the wrong way of approaching this. The socialistic model of companies being forced to find green alternatives, and the movement from reliance on a big business energy monopoly to, say for example, cheap and effective solar panelling available, if necessary, with incentives to all homes to produce their OWN electricity, is surely what we should be looking for. Perhaps it is too revolutionary, but why not move to devolve reliance on the big carbon energy companies onto the ordinary people, responsible for their own clean electricity. But of course the carbon companies are a vested interest are they not, and so maybe I am too much of an optimist.

Posted by Leigh Wilks on June 16, 2009 at 12:48 AM BST #

Good effort, well done, but there are significant loopholes in environment policies and those in turn play low-profile on environmental crimes in various parts of the world. Serious concerns should be raised against whale and dolphin slaughter, seal clubbing and the fur trade which have already caused unprecedented damage to the helpless other inhabitants of the planet.

Posted by Chamila Liyanage on June 18, 2009 at 04:35 AM BST #

But reuse can only take us so far. In the end, municipal recycling programs are only a delaying mechanism and despite our best intentions, recycling does not stop post consumer waste from ending up in landfills. If you are truly trying to reduce your impact, buy a nice water bottle and refill it often. Not only will you save hundreds or perhaps thousands of dollars on products you do not need to buy contrary to popular belief, there wasn't always bottled water for sale, Best http://www.bankofwow.com cheap wow gold online.but you will be making a real impact on reducing your impact on the environment. Reduce, Reuse, Recycle..... with an emphasis on reduce and reuse!

Posted by wow gold on August 29, 2009 at 12:21 PM BST #

Good effort, well done, but there are significant loopholes in environment policies and those in turn play low-profile on environmental crimes in various parts of the world. Serious concerns should be raised against whale and dolphin slaughter, seal clubbing and the fur trade which have already caused unprecedented damage to the helpless other inhabitants of the planet

Posted by Lotro Gold on November 11, 2009 at 05:50 AM GMT #

Dear Mr. Now is time that you and all other politicians especially in Europe who have been looking for democracy in Iran, take an action: Supporting Iranian movement, by not accepting Mr. Ahmadinejad, as the legal president of Iran. Kind Regards Effat

Posted by Metin2 yang on November 12, 2009 at 02:17 AM GMT #

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