20 Oct 2009
Chancellor Alistair Darling today called on EU countries to commit €10 billion (£9.1bn) a year in funding to developing countries, as part of a €100 billion (£91bn) package designed to help them cut emissions and adapt to climate change.
Speaking at a meeting of EU finance ministers in Luxembourg today, Darling said the UK would commit to provide €1 billion (£0.9bn) a year as part of the proposed deal, which is designed to help provide fresh momentum to the deadlocked Copenhagen negotiations.
Despite recent reports that the negotiations to agree a successor to the Kyoto Protocol are progressing, key issues remain unresolved, with poorer nations calling for an increase in the amount of climate change funding offered by richer countries, and those industrialised nations demanding that emerging economies must commit to binding emission targets if they want any funding.
Darling said that Europe could help break the deadlock by making a firm offer of funding. "We need to recognise there are responsibilities on both sides," he said. "Europe must play a critical role both by showing leadership and by bringing developed and developing nations together around a common action plan. "
If €10 billion (£9.1bn) were forthcoming from the EU, Darling hopes a similar amount would be provided by the US. Another €10bn could then be raised from other industrialised countries, such as Japan and Russia, resulting in funding totalling €30 billion (£27.3bn) a year from richer nations.
The Treasury estimates a further €50 billion (£45.5bn) could be raised through the carbon markets, while richer developing nations such as China may controversially be asked to provide an additional €15 to €20 billion (£13.6 to £18bn).
Earlier this year, prime minister Gordon Brown said that the developing world should be provided with $100 billion (£91bn) a year in funding by 2020 to help accelerate the rollout of clean technologies and protect itself against the worst ravages of climate change.
In a separate announcement, international development secretary Douglas Alexander today pledged up to £100m to a global fund to tackle deforestation.
LATEST STORIES ABOUT CLIMATE CHANGE
YOU MAY ALSO LIKE
LATEST JOBS
TODAY'S TOP STORIES
HIGHLIGHT
Solar sector warns proposed cuts to feed-in tariffs would make it impossible for them to deliver promised rates of return
INSIGHT
INSIGHT
The science and practical application of an improved method for the specification of power and cooling infrastructure for data centres
A look at alternative approaches to managing energy for cost and/or sustainability reasons in data centres
WHAT DO YOU THINK? Add your comment
A good start....but..
Hats off to Alistair Darling for leading the charge and pledging that the UK will commit ?1 billion (£0.9bn) a year in funding to help developing countries cut emissions and tackle climate change. Fresh momentum is needed to get us out of deadlock; the EU should definitely follow suit. However, what I would be interested to see is how Mr. Darling proposes to split these funds? The issue of climate change is hugely complex and multi-faceted and while we can hope that clean/green technologies will get a sizable portion of the funds available (especially given Gordon Brown?s plea earlier this year that the developing world should be provided with $100 billion (£91bn) a year in funding by 2020 to help accelerate the rollout of clean technologies), I can?t help but wonder what the government?s clean technology priorities are? In other words, what are they going to advise ? or better still mandate that we ?green? first? For example, where does the data center ? in particular, a single server - stand in the race for clean tech adoption? At 1E (www.1e.com), we believe that issues like data center power management and efficiency measurement must be put firmly onto the political climate change agenda at Copenhagen. It would be interesting to see the UK government?s take. With no clear directives coming from UK government on this topic and the EU Data Center Code of Conduct still being a voluntary ?opt in? a year since its unveiling, it seems we?re a step behind Obama, who earlier this month, made an executive order to mandate federal agencies to implement green data center strategies?
Posted by Phil Wilcock, 04 Nov 2009