Copenhagen (Kirsty Williams AM )

Cymraeg
English

Kirsty Williams AM <info@kirstywilliams.org.uk>

Copenhagen

November 20, 2009 12:00 AM
By Kirsty Williams AM in County Times 20th November 2009

We are now less than a month away from the Copenhagen climate change conference, which will see the world's leading nations attempt to negotiate a successor to the Kyoto Treaty. In the lead up to the conference we are hearing warm words from Government but it is crucial that this is translated into decisive action to adequately tackle one of the biggest challenges facing humanity and the planet earth today.

2 degrees above the level before the Industrial Revolution in the late 18th century, is the point considered by the Nobel-winning Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, to be the threshold for catastrophic climate change which would expose millions to drought, hunger and flooding. With the global temperature already rising 1.2 degrees on average, it is crucial that we halt our sprint towards this dangerous tipping point to ensure the future of our planet and of our children. In order to reverse this trend and to secure a deal at Copenhagen it is clear that Britain and the developed world must accept its historic responsibility for the industrial emissions and take action to reduce them. We need to see industrial nations drastically cutting emissions, which is why the Welsh Lib Dems have this week used their motion to call upon the Welsh Assembly, through its Climate Change Strategy, to reduce emissions by 40% by 2020 against the 1990 baseline, and to encourage other governments to do the same. We were delighted that we have received cross party support for this demand but the Welsh Government must back this rhetoric up with strong action.

In many aspects, Wales has a record that we can be proud of. There are examples of local action from groups and individuals across the country which is making a very positive impact - from transition towns such as Rhayader and Presteigne to micro-generation and renewable energy projects. Just last week I was visiting the site of a proposed tyre recycling plant in Presteigne and next week I will be presenting Phoenix Furniture, in Llandrindod Wells, with the Clych Recycling award for Innovation. On the Recycling front we are clearly moving forwards leaps and bounds; but cutting our emissions footprints, as individuals and as a nation, must go beyond this. It is about reducing our consumption, particularly of oil, which means cutting back on our car use, on our food miles, on our energy use and wherever possible reusing goods and products before recycling them.

A Liberal Democrat Government would make Britain carbon neutral by 2050 - and by 2020 would have brought our emissions down to the level scientists say will stop climate change; we would shift towards an nation of properly insulted homes and peoples; we would get people out of their cars by investing in public transport; we would shift from dirty fossil fuels to 40% of all our electricity from renewable sources by 2020.

We are already seeing the horrors of climate change; in the thousands forced to live in caravans after the great floods of 2007; and across the world, with places like Bangladesh being buffeted by cyclones and rising sea levels. The impact of climate change will fall disproportionately on developing countries - those least responsible for the situation we now find ourselves in. Any climate change deal must protect the poorest and most vulnerable from the effects of global warming. We cannot sit back and let the opportunity that Copenhagen presents pass us by, we cannot afford to continue with business as usual - the stakes are far too high.