The Pacific Islands On The Road To Copenhagen

The Pacific Islands On The Road To Copenhagen

By Chris Bryant , Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for the Foreign & Commonwealth Office.

Climate change talks at Copenhagen could be as important in avoiding global suffering as any peace treaty.As a British Foreign Office Minister in Australia for the Pacific Islands’ Forum, I’m in a curious position when I raise climate change. Britain was the cradle of the industrial revolution in the eighteen century. Arguably no other country has a longer history of being an industrial producer of greenhouse gases.

Indeed, the part of the UK I represent as an MP is a Welsh former mining community, the Rhondda, which produced much of the steam coal which powered the ships that drove the industrial revolution. They called it ‘black gold’.But we know we have to change our ways and we have to do so with a real sense of urgency. Much is at stake and the Pacific Islands have a special role to play.

For a start, the threat posed by rising sea levels is particularly acute for the low-lying parts of Asia, PNG and the Pacific Islands. Places like the Carterat Islands may disappear in the not-too-distant future, with thousands forced to relocate.

In Kiribati too, which has seen an island cut in two by rising waters, people are already living with the consequences of climate change. Moreover PNG has the third largest rainforests in the world - lungs of the globe, which we need to protect.Second, the changing (and more changeable) weather patterns will affect all countries. Thailand could see a 50% reduction in the yields of its rice paddies. Drought and irrigation will become ever more problematic for Australia and New Zealand. And, back at home in the UK, we face greater extremes of climate, with wetter winters (I know many in Australia will find that hard to believe), and hotter summers.

In my own area the flood defences we built thirty years ago will not be able to protect many hundreds of homes with the flash rains predicted. British wines may get even better - but British storms may get ever more dangerous.That is why we in Britain are determined to tackle climate change with real action, and not just spout hot air about it.

I am glad the Australian Government has announced ambitious emissions reductions targets , and I hope the New Zealand Government will soon make a similar announcement. In the UK, we’ve made these targets legally binding, so that if a future government fails to meet these targets (staged every 5 years and leading to an 80% reduction in emissions by 2050), people will be able to take it to court.But we are now rapidly coming to a crunch time. This December the world gathers in Copenhagen to negotiate a successor to the Kyoto Protocol - and we have to engage in one of the most important exercises in international diplomacy in decades. In practical terms, we must secure an agreement to stabilise global temperatures - ensuring they don’t rise any more than 2 degrees Celsius.

In turn that means really ambitious and determined action by both the developed and developing world, including hard targets for developed countries, supported by financial assistance for real action in the poorest countries.The Pacific Islands’ Forum, taking place in Cairns this week, couldn’t come at a better time. It is a real chance to make our commitment loud and clear. Some countries have led the way. Tuvalu, for example, sent a strong message to the world when it announced that it will be carbon neutral by 2020. Australia’s emissions reductions targets should be a model for some other developed countries, which is why I sincerely hope they get all-party support in Canberra.

It is true that some of the Pacific islands may be small. But they can all be powerful - and Copenhagen offers a chance to shame the world into action.There is not just a climate threat, but a climate opportunity as well. Just as the 19th and 20th centuries were the era of the industrial revolution, the 21st century must be the era of the low carbon green revolution. Thousands of green jobs, earning millions of dollars, are up for grabs. The country - or region - which recognises this will win business and export markets, as well as help to save the planet from dangerous climate change. It is the grand green bargain we need to strike with our own future. The Pacific embraces great diversity.

But on this issue there must be unity. If we just carry on as we are, we shall all suffer - and the poorest will be worst hit. Millions may be forced to leave their homes. Self-interest alone should mean that the Pacific Islands will provide the loudest voices this year, clamouring for tough, swift action that can prevent the world from overheating.

Chris Bryant , Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for the Foreign & Commonwealth Office.

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