David Miliband

Foreign Secretary

FCO Logo
« Indonesian Elections | Main | Chinese Growth »
Wednesday 15 July, 2009

Act on Copenhagen

Today the Government has published the UK Low Carbon Transition Plan, which forms an economy-wide strategy to convert the UK into a permanent low carbon economy. It is one of the most systematic responses to climate change of any major developed economy and comes at a crucial time in the run up to the talks in Copenhagen in December.

Act on Copenhagen

It shows that the UK is willing and ready to play its part in the Copenhagen deal with real policies and real cuts in emissions. We're taking action now because our future economic prosperity and security depends on converting to low carbon living.

The G8 and Major Economies Forum last week produced a real breakthrough with a 2°C rise in temperature limit - meaning that developed and developing countries will have to demonstrate that their actions and commitments are consistent with this scientific framework. Developed countries must continue to show leadership and ambition over coming months - and will need a low carbon transition plan if they're to be taken seriously by the developing world in the run up to Copenhagen.

Posted at 17:03 15 July 2009 by David Miliband  |  Comments[14]

  • Share this with:
Comments:

We also need to make sure that developing countries whose people are most at risk from the immediate impact of climate change, like Bangladesh, Kenya, etc., have adequate support in their efforts to mitigate the effects of an unpredictable natural environment and adapt to the new world we are entering.

Posted by OwenE2 on July 16, 2009 at 01:17 PM BST #

Is this framework enough? Considering Britains massive historical contribution to carbon emmisions shouldnt we be doing more. I for one would be prepared to sacrifice more for a healthy planet, and a better nights sleep. Have you not heard of 350.org?

Posted by Eve James on July 16, 2009 at 03:39 PM BST #

It is great to see that you are committed to doing more to cut emissions, but we need to push, not only our governments thinking, but all the other world leaders to have joined up thinking, stop talking and actually start doing! The more we negotiate the more watered down these decisions become.. we need to have targets put in place, and start working towards achieving them otherwise it will be too late. In the UK we talk the talk, but in the negotiations we get pressured and agreements get watered down. I feel for the smaller countries that don’t have as much influence, but yet are already feeling the effects of climate change – we need to help them adapt by agreeing to a fair deal, not only for the developed world, but for everyone.

Posted by Abby Mason on July 17, 2009 at 10:54 AM BST #

Sir, today we are planning to stop carbon di-oxide emission and not thinking to boost investments for R & D for natural energy sources like solar, wind, tidal energies etc. Only by stopping carbon emissions, we cannot check global warming upto required level. For checking global warming, we need to phase out carbon based energy by natural energy sources. [ Prabhat Misra, http://www.mynature-myfuture.blogspot.com ]

Posted by Prabhat Misra on July 18, 2009 at 12:31 PM BST #

I bet the Uk are looking hard to see which tax they can do as a green tax, well we must pay back the debts.

Posted by trebor on July 19, 2009 at 12:00 PM BST #

Sir, in developing countries the main source of energy is fossil fuel and most of their economies and employment based on such energy. So, this is the primary responsibility of developed nations, to provide green-technology and financial help to these nations, to help in phasing out the carbon based energy by green and clean sources of energies. Another big problem, facing by developing nations, is of population. Population have reverse relationship with environment; so in Copenhagen our another target should also be involved discussion on "population in relation" to environment. [Prabhat Misra, blog: http://www.mynature-myfuture.blogspot.com ]

Posted by Prabhat Misra on August 11, 2009 at 04:33 PM BST #

These days Obama's CARBON CAP legislation is in news and is subject to discussion. It is said that this legislation will help in reducing CARBON FOOT-PRINTING. But in most of the nations, which are mostly developing, the main sources of energies are fossil fuels; so such legislation may prove act against these nations economies than the reducing carbon foot-printing, WITHOUT TRANSFERING GREEN TECHNOLOGIES TO THEM. One way enactment of this legislation may cause ECONOMIC RECESSION. [ Prabhat Misra, blog: http://www.mynature-myfuture.blogspot.com ]

Posted by Prabhat Misra on August 16, 2009 at 01:38 PM BST #

Sir, N.G.Os. can play very important role in creating awareness against GLOBAL WARMING. They are pivotal in planning and project implementation. They can initiate awareness about key issues like carbon footprinting, afforestation, forest and biodiversity conservation through peoples participation. One such successfull example of an N.G.O. is 'Swami Vivekanand Seva Sansthan' from Etawah district of U.P., India which is playing important co-operational role in implementing the tree protection movement launched by me,named 'RED TAPE'. So, in Copenhagen, there should also be a big role for NGO's too. [ Prabhat Misra, District Savings Officer, Etawah, U.P., India ]

Posted by Prabhat Misra on August 18, 2009 at 04:02 PM BST #

Sir, trees are the main sink for the cabon di-oxide. So it should be our primary duty to do afforestation of C-3 and C.A.M. plants. There should also be efforts to check the deserts and deforestation of lands. This can be implemented with the help of creating a new kind of force- the environment protection force, by U.N.O. [ Prabhat Misra, http://www.mynature-myfuture.blogspot.com ]

Posted by Prabhat Misra on August 19, 2009 at 04:25 PM BST #

Sir, one model has been developed by me is 'GREEN VILLAGE' model. In this model, every residential villager of the selected village do the tree plantation of atleast one tree and take care of it. In this way every member of the village participate in the coservation of ecosystem and environment. In the future this will change into a big 'carbon sinking zone' and will be helpfull in protecting our beautifull Earth from the detrimental effects of 'GLOBAL WARMING'. These days our technological life is totally based on information technology [ I.T. ]; no nation can think their development without I.T. But I.T. is also not completely Carbon-free and is also the carbon contributor. Our future I.T. should be completely free from carbon emission; this may be a tough job but not impossible. There should be discussions on these aspects also in Copenhagen. [ Prabhat Misra, District Savings Officer, Etawah, U.P., India, blog: http://www.mynature-myfuture.blogspot.com ]

Posted by Prabhat Misra on August 20, 2009 at 03:47 PM BST #

Sir, the current problem of GLOBAL WARMING is the result of our past discovery of 'STEAM POWER' and 'FOSSIL FUELS' which resulted in the INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION. At that time, the policy makers, scientists and engineers did not judge the fate and impact of that industrial revolution. Now, the current generation of flora and fauna are facing the survival problem due to harmfull impact of GHGs. So it will be better to establish a 'WORLD COMMISSION FOR SCIENCE and DEVELOPMENT' to monitor and promote such discoveries which are environment friendly and have no harmfull by-products. Our development should be scientifically approved and with environment friendly technologies. Developed nations should provide such technologies to developing nations at the lowest possible cost. This should also be the part of discussion in the meeting of World Leaders in Copenhagen conference. [ Prabhat Misra, District Savings Officer, Etawah, U.P., India ]

Posted by Prabhat Misra on August 24, 2009 at 02:36 PM BST #

Sir, today[ dt. 03.09.09 ] i read the article by Mr. Bjorn Lomborg [Director of the Copenhagen Consensus Center] in Economic Times of India[ http://m.economictimes.com ]. After reading his excellent article i came to the conclusion that by just changing our lifestyle we can bring a major change in decarbonising the world and can save billions of dollors which in turn can be utilised in R & D for climate technologies. So here is my suggestion that the ENVIRONMENTALLY FRIENDLY LIFESTYLE should be made a compulsory fundamental duty for every citizens. This minor change can made a good change in decarbonising the environment. This point should be raised in Copenhagen Summit. [Prabhat Misra, District Savings Officer, U.P., India].

Posted by Prabhat Misra on September 03, 2009 at 04:48 PM BST #

Sir, the peoples participation movements can play very important role in decarbonising the environment and in lowering carbon footprinting. Prof. Wangari Maathai's compaign 'Enough is Enough' is a peoples awareness programme in Kenya to make green society through peoples participation. This is an excellent effort at grass-root-level. Another such type of peoples participation movement is 'RED TAPE MOVEMENT' launched by me in Etawah [U.P., India], to make aware the people about the environment and to give the message that to cut the plants is harmfull to the nature and biodiversity survival, by tying red tape on the trunks of existing trees. Such types of movements can change the current society into environment friendly society. [Prabhat Misra, District Savings Officer, Etawah, U.P.,India].

Posted by Prabhat Misra on September 04, 2009 at 04:05 PM BST #

Sir, these days the role of "GEO-ENGINEERING", in reducing the global warming, is in news. But this engineering will not completely phase-out the role playing by trees and aquatic flora in naturally reducing global warming coz the artificial technologies lacks the natural photosystems and Calvin cycle to change the carbon dioxide into beneficial products. Such artificial technologies will provide the temporary solution to decarbonise the environment and global warming. So this should be the primary duty of the world community to give preference to the afforestation and take necessary action to save the 'tropical rain forests' [world's most productive and carbon dioxide sinking zone]. Without forests, human survival is not possible. [Prabhat Misra, District Savings Officer, Etawah, U.P., India]

Posted by Prabhat Misra on September 04, 2009 at 04:24 PM BST #

Post a Comment:
  • HTML Syntax: NOT allowed