Oral - Preparation for Copenhagen

The world’s nations will meet at the fifteenth conference of the United Nations’ framework convention on climate change, which will take place in Copenhagen from 7 to 18 December 2009. This conference is expected to achieve a global climate change agreement that would enter into force when the Kyoto protocol expires in 2012. Securing a global agreement is critical to tackling climate change and invoking rapid, substantive worldwide action on this most urgent of issues.

We believe that, as a small, industrialised nation, Wales has an important role to play in demonstrating leadership on this issue. Regional governments are key to implementing a global climate change deal. Wales is co-chair for Europe of the Network of Regional Governments for Sustainable Development, nrg4SD, which is a role that we took on in June. Wales is working closely with regional government network partners, UN and European bodies, and other organisations to increase international recognition for regional government action on climate change. I will participate in the conference and proceedings of the COP15 conference in Copenhagen in December, where my programme, so far, is as follows.

On Sunday, 13 December, I will speak at a large event organised by the European Environment Agency and the United Nations Environment Programme with key politicians and businesses focusing on climate communities and world leaders and scientists. On Monday 14 December I will chair an nrg4SD steering committee and side event, and attend a European Environment Agency event to launch a film, Oceans Day. On Tuesday 15 December I will speak at the Climate Group’s summit and side event. Following this, I will speak at an event with the European Parliamentary delegation, the Global Network on Energy for Sustainable Development organised by the European Environment Agency, and a youth event organised by the Swedish presidency and the European Youth Forum. Dates for these latter events are still being confirmed. There will also be a number of opportunities to take part in other events and bilateral meetings which will occur during the main event.

I will be taking a number of messages to the Copenhagen conference. First, the Assembly Government has been participating in discussions on the negotiating text to be put forward to the UN secretariat for the Copenhagen conference. This text calls for greater recognition of the role that regions play in climate change activity as between 50 per cent and 80 per cent of mitigation and adaptation actions needed to reach the ultimate goals of the UNFCCC will be implemented at sub-national and local levels. It is intended to be the basis for future regional involvement in the implementation stage following the Copenhagen conference deal.

The Climate Change Commission for Wales is central to our work to tackling the causes and consequences of climate change in Wales. The commission has developed a clear consensus on the outcomes that it wants to see from the Copenhagen conference, which is laid out in a statement that I will take with me. This statement has already been presented at a major energy and climate change event that formed part of the Smithsonian Folklife Festival in Washington.

At the commission meeting on 27 October, members provided an update of their preparations for Copenhagen. For example, the CBI has met to discuss commonalities for Copenhagen with business federations in countries such as Germany, China and Russia; the Centre for Alternative Technology will present its report, 'Zero Carbon Britain 2’ at Copenhagen; Wales Environment Link’s members, through the Stop Climate Chaos Coalition, are supporting the UK 'blue wave’ demonstrations, and a blue dragon will represent Wales at Copenhagen.

We particularly wanted to take the views of young people: it is more important than ever that young people are involved with action on climate change. After all, it is they who will inherit the world that results from the decisions made in Copenhagen. We held an event for young people in Swansea in July, which gave delegates a chance to tell us their views. We are compiling a presentation of film from the video booths, which is uploaded on Facebook, comments from the graffiti walls, and feedback from other messages given to us, such as those from the Tick Tock campaign, and from sources such as WWF’s Climate Witness campaign.

One of our climate change champions for Wales will come to Copenhagen, and will help convey these messages of the people of Wales. Besides meeting with other youth delegates to learn from other countries, he or she will engage young people in Wales with the negotiations, and the need to act on climate change. We anticipate considerable Welsh media interest in their activities.

In the run-up to Copenhagen, we have participated in a number of high profile events. We took a big step forward at Poznań last December, with the subsequent agreement on the EU’s climate and energy package. I attended the meeting of the Environment Council in Brussels on 2 March 2009, which was an important moment for EU action on climate change. Last Friday, the EU position on Copenhagen was announced. That position will allow the EU to play a constructive role in the negotiations, particularly on financing given that the EU is prepared to contribute its fair share of the funding needed to support an agreement.

At the end of May, I chaired a United Nations development programme side event on regional public-private partnerships at the world business summit on climate change in Copenhagen. I presented our Wales-based activity to tackle climate change and our involvement in the UN’s development programme to support developing country regions, the territorial approach to climate change and our partnership with the Mbale region in Uganda.

I also spoke at the US Governors’ Global Summit 2: On the Road to Copenhagen from 30 September to 2 October. That summit promoted official recognition by the UN for sub-national leadership and support in the lead-up to an agreement at Copenhagen. Tomorrow, I am travelling to the final UNFCCC negotiating event in Barcelona, where I will chair an nrg4SD side event and speak at an event organised by The Climate Group. Participating in the Copenhagen conference enables Wales to demonstrate, on a global stage, that we are among the most active and effective regional governments in the world in addressing sustainable development and climate change.