David Miliband

Copenhagen – We still have a chance

As this Guardian article set out, Brazil has become the latest country to say it will offer an emissions reduction target at Copenhagen.

Following the EU’s legally binding commitments, and alongside the recent Japanese and Korean announcements, this shows that momentum is still building. Countries, both developing and developed, are willing to make commitments to produce an ambitious global deal.

I met this week with South American journalists; the region will be crucial to any deal. 

Posted at 14:34 19 November 2009 by David Miliband  |  Comments[1]

Climate Finance

There are now less than 40 days to go before Copenhagen. The four degree map my brother Ed and I launched last week underlines the urgent need for a deal to keep global temperature rise below 2 degrees.

So far, the EU has done its bit, showing commendable leadership in driving progress towards such a deal.  The 20-20-20 deal, the conditional offer to shift to 30% emissions reduction targets, and diplomatic initiatives to encourage global action, have all contributed. And we have shown -reflecting the argument that I made in my speech on Europe at IISS on Monday - that by working through the EU, Britain can have a bigger impact than acting alone. The UK can act to address its own emissions, but as part of the EU, we can ensure others reduce theirs too.  Britain’s percentage of global carbon emissions is 2%; the EU’s is 14%.

But the deal we need is by no means guaranteed. Today, the Prime Minister and I are meeting European leaders at the October European Council to iron out the EU’s position.  Climate finance - the framework and funding to encourage developing countries to join a global deal - will be central to discussions.  

An ambitious climate finance offer from the EU is what we need to reach a two degree deal, and the October European Council is the opportunity for the EU to demonstrate the role it can play as a global actor.

Now, more than ever, the EU needs to come together.

Posted at 09:56 30 October 2009 by David Miliband  |  Comments[2]

Climate Change – Believe the Science

An article in the Huffington Post reports on a recent poll – apparently only 57% of Americans think there is solid evidence that the world is getting warmer – down 20% from three years ago.

This is alarming. We need to do more to make sure people – and governments – know the science behind climate change. Hence the map we commissioned from the Hadley Centre, launched at the Science Museum last week.

The article argues that some of this drop is explained by people’s preoccupation with economic issues. This could well be true. But it is a false dichotomy. If we don’t solve the problems of climate change today; the depression of tomorrow – once the full economic effects kick in – would eclipse the current recession.

Lord Stern has said that the economic effects of climate change could cost us more than two world wars and the great depression combined. We must heed such warnings, we must listen to the science, and we must ensure that the Copenhagen Summit heralds an ambitious global deal to limit temperature rises to two degrees.

Posted at 14:26 29 October 2009 by David Miliband  |  Comments[7]

Blog Action Day - Climate Change

Today is Blog Action Day  and across the world bloggers are coming together to blog on one topic; climate change. There is no topic more pressing or more worthy, and both government and individuals need to be mobilised in support of an ambitious and equitable deal in Copenhagen. Bloggers who individually have quiet voices can collectively speak volumes.

Last year 12,000 bloggers took part. This year I hope there will be even more. Including our Foreign Office climate change bloggers, now gathered in one place on our new blog platform 'Climate Conversations' . But climate change has an impact far beyond those traditionally thought of as environmental. So bloggers right across our network are are also writing on this topic - John Duncan, Ambassador for Multilateral Arms Control & Disarmament, on nuclear issues and climate change; David Concar, Climate Change Counsellor Beijing, on China’s climate change concerns. The Prime Minister too has produced a one off blog for the cause, available to read on Number 10’s website

But it’s not just bloggers. Everyone can do their bit by backing the bid for an ambitious, effective and fair deal in Copenhagen. Go to the 'Act on Copenhagen' website  to find out more.

The UK is doing its bit– the first country to set legally binding targets to cut its carbon footprint and the first to set carbon budgets to limit emissions. But we, and the rest of the world, have a massive challenge in front of us. The window of action to avoid catastrophic climate change is closing and agreement at Copenhagen is by no means certain.

All countries must come together to face the shared threat. There will have to be compromise, but there cannot be compromise on the ambition – to keep global temperature rises below 2 degrees, we need nothing less than a 50% reduction in global emissions by 2050. I hope the voices raised today will help us near our goal.

Posted at 11:55 15 October 2009 by David Miliband  |  Comments[21]

Blog Action Day

15 October is Blog Action Day related to climate change and Copenhagen in particular.   There isn’t really a better topic for blogging - a deal needs civilian power not just government power. 

I've just done an interview for a Brazilian paper El Globo arguing that we keep the faith in the drive for an ambitious, fair and effective global deal.  That remains my position.

Posted at 11:45 10 October 2009 by David Miliband  |  Comments[2]

4 Countries, One Day

Yesterday I was in Poland where 94 per cent of electricity is coal generated, symbolising some of the challenges even for relatively rich countries in engineering a shift to low carbon. But the Poles have the legacy of old Soviet era infrastructure, and so there are some rich pickings for companies serious about energy efficicency.

I now think Europe can forge a common and strong position on climate financing. The Prime Minister's speech from June still sets the bar for detail on sources, quantum and destination for funding. Today in Copenhagen we will see how to take European common ground and drive towards a global consensus.

Posted at 13:06 10 September 2009 by David Miliband  |  Comments[4]

Useful summits?

At Paris' Sciences Po University yesterday I said that if Europe successfully led the way to global climate deal, the EU would come to be recognised as an "Environmental Union". It is an uphill struggle towards a deal because of the competing pressures on time, money and political capital around the world.

Less than 100 days before the Copenhagen meeting the detailed negotiations need a political lift. One opportunity is the SIX EU summits with third countries between now and December - South Africa, Brazil, USA, India, Russia, China.

The Swedish presidency, which will lead the EU delegation, say climate change will be the centrepiece of the summits. At each there needs to be hard talking about the components of a deal - targets, financing, technology.

Posted at 13:14 09 September 2009 by David Miliband  |  Comments[4]

Copenhagen in the balance

Despite the Japanese announcement the drive for a global climate deal is in danger. I have argued this morning with Britain's lead negotiator, my brother Ed Miliband, the pressure of other issues, notably the economic crisis, risks crowding out the space for a global deal.

The response needs to be an augmented drive by those of us committed to a deal. In the first instance that means Europeans pulling their weight - so French Foreign Minister Kouchner, and Swedish Foreign Minister Bildt will today launch a 3 day drive around Europe, culminating in Copenhagen on Thursday, to mobilise European diplomatic resources around a deal.

Posted at 15:16 08 September 2009 by David Miliband  |  Comments[2]

Japan moves on climate; let's build on it

The decision/announcement by the new Japanese government to increase its emissions reduction commitment threefold (from minus 8 to minus 25 by 2020) is a shot in the arm to the drive for a deal in Copenhagen.

Japan is a massive economy - the world's second largest - and technological driver. As the host of Kyoto it has a special role; the new government is determined to fulfil it

Posted at 11:48 08 September 2009 by David Miliband  |  Comments[3]

China-European Commission agreement on CCS

I blogged recently about the need to finance environmental measures in developing countries ('A Greener World'). I was pleased to see the European Commission's announcement on Thursday of its intention to help fund carbon capture and storage demonstration with China - particularly since the original EU-China Partnership on Climate Change was launched through a joint declaration during the UK's last EU Presidency in 2005.

We have long argued that providing global certainty on the demonstration of CCS (by 2015) and its deployment (by 2020) is central to any credible climate change agreement which deals effectively with fossil fuel, and coal in particular.

A credible global CCS demonstration effort will require substantive international collaboration between major coal dependent economies. The Commission's announcement is a welcome step in the right direction. Funding CCS demonstration in China would complement the G8's commitment to launch 20 demonstrations in 2010.

More broadly this Commission-Chinese initiative can provide a model for more proposals for collaborative projects between developed countries and emerging economies. Nevertheless we need to act much faster and more ambitiously on CCS and other mitigation technologies as we approach Copenhagen.

Posted at 15:00 30 June 2009 by David Miliband  |  Comments[1]

Commonwealth at 60

HM The Queen leads a service at Westminster Abbey today to mark the 60th anniversary of the Commonwealth. All parts of the Commonwealth family will be represented. Its challenge now is different from 60 years ago: to burnish and refresh a sense of solidarity out of Commonwealth diversity.

Empire memories are the origins but not enough. Equal sovereign states need a sense of purpose to hold them together. I think upholding democratic values is the foundation - hence the importance of the Fiji decision last week. But beyond that there needs to be focus and drive: climate change is the obvious unifier.

Posted at 12:16 09 March 2009 by David Miliband  |  Comments[4]

Munich Security Conference

This article from the Atlantic Press Review Blog discusses some interesting comment pieces on NATO at 60. These are issues I'm grappling with at the moment. Tomorrow I make a speech  at the Wehrkunder Security Conference in Munich. Its about how NATO and the EU can deal with both conventional security threats within its borders, and the new global threats from terrorism, climate change and nuclear proliferation.  This is a great opportunity for Europe, NATO, and the world to think clearly and deeply about our common security. I look forward to a fascinating debate with many of the world's leaders in attendance.

Posted at 20:52 05 February 2009 by David Miliband  |  Comments[6]

Carbon capture and storage

One of the last but most important questions to be resolved in the climate and energy deal just agreed at the European Council was how to finance the demonstration of carbon capture and storage (CCS), the technologies that remove carbon emissions from fossil power plants and bury them indefinitely in geological reservoirs underground. In the event we managed to secure a package that will fund the construction of the 10 or so plants we will need in order to discover if we can make CCS work safely and affordably at scale. This fulfils the commitment European leaders made at their Summit last spring.

This is a breakthrough agreement. Coal is a reality. China has in recent years been building 2 new coal plants a week. The US and Germany get 50% of their electricity from coal. Unless we can find a way of ensuring that the coal that is inevitably going to be burned is emission free, there will be no chance of avoiding dangerous climate change.

Today's deal in effect establishes one of the most transformational technology partnerships ever seen. It brings us a big step closer to establishing the zero emission power systems we urgently need, not only in the EU but also in the US, China and elsewhere. It will help those in the US Congress like Senator Kerry who have been pressing for a similar package to change the game on coal in the US. It thereby puts in place a critical precondition for the agreement we need to reach at Copenhagen next year on a new international framework for climate change. That will now take centre stage.  

Posted at 10:48 15 December 2008 by David Miliband  |  Comments[4]

"What is needed is nothing short of an energy revolution"

The International Energy Agency's World Energy Outlook 2008 published on 12 Nov is worth a look. It makes key points about how we cannot let the financial/economic crisis delay urgent actions needed to move to a low carbon economy. And that the danger for the climate of continued high carbon dependence is "shocking".

Posted at 11:16 17 November 2008 by David Miliband  |  Comments[12]

Buyers' Remorse

The European Council will be remembered for the confidence of the European proposals for global financial regulation. We are not going to argue about where credit belongs for their creation: suffice to say they are ideas with which we are more than comfortable.

But the Council has set the scene for a very serious discussion between now and December about how the EU is to meet the ambitious climate change goals that were agreed in March 2007. There is no question that some of those who have doubts about the climate change agenda, or still don't believe in the economics of climate change after Nicholas Stern's report, are getting buyers' remorse about the March 2007 deal. But what is their argument?

Surely not that we can avoid making decisions in December. By then a new US President will be giving indications of how he plans to handle this issue. We cannot end up in a situation where Europe does not have a climate change position and America does. Nor that we should revisit the targets (no one actually suggested this at this Council).

Nor, on the other side, that there does not need to be proper recognition in the final package of the particular situations of different countries or the need for cost effectiveness in the way the climate agenda is pursued.

In the event this was early sparring. But stick to the targets and it doesn't matter that much how they are hit - more energy efficiency, more renewables, more nuclear, they all count towards a low carbon agenda.

Posted at 17:18 16 October 2008 by David Miliband  |  Comments[3]