David Cameron shows some leg on climate change (at long last)
UK Prime Minister David Cameron finally gave a speech on climate change yesterday at the UN’s Climate Summit in New York. We’ve been waiting a long time for it – arguably the 24 years since Margaret Thatcher urged the UN to take action in 1990. We haven’t heard a squeak from those who served in between – Messers Major, Blair and Brown – so for that, at least, we should be grateful to the current PM.
Before I read the transcript, I was expecting the usual blandishments and weasel words – and there were some – but a couple of passages caught my eye:
As political leaders we have a duty to think long-term. When offered clear scientific advice, we should listen to it. When faced with risks, we should insure against them. And when presented with an opportunity to safeguard the long-term future of our planet and our people, we should seize it.
This is a strong signal to those climate sceptics in Cameron’s party that he’s not going to listen to their insidious whispers.
Another passage reframed climate action for a right-leaning thinkers:
We need to give business the certainty it needs to invest in low carbon. That means fighting against the economically and environmentally perverse fossil fuel subsidies which distort free markets and rip off taxpayers. It means championing green free trade, slashing tariffs on things like solar panels. And it means giving business the flexibility to pick the right technologies for their needs.
In short we need a framework built on green growth not green tape.
I particularly like the line on removing fossil fuel subsidies and hope that Cameron is true to his word on this. The recent New Climate Economy report estimated that these were six times that of clean energy subsidies – a level playing field could accelerate the world towards a low carbon economy very quickly indeed.
And there was a line about developing countries which sets out a realistic approach to developing economies and makes a case for richer nations to invest in their green development for the benefit of all:
We must provide support to those who need it, particularly the poorest and most vulnerable. It is completely unrealistic to expect developing countries to forgo the high carbon route to growth that so many Western countries enjoyed, unless we support them to achieve green growth. Now, if we get this right there need not be a trade-off between economic growth and reducing carbon emissions.
So nothing groundbreaking, but I do like Cameron’s pitch for a right-of-centre case for tackling climate change. If the debate continues to descend into a left vs right battle then we will get nowhere (I’m looking at you, Ms Klein). If both left and right can agree to act in their own way, then we can get moving.
However, the litmus test will be whether Cameron runs the same arguments in his forthcoming party conference speech. Labour leader Ed Miliband remembered to talk about climate change in his conference speech yesterday and I’ll be comparing and contrasting the three major party leaders’ speeches when they’ve all been given.
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