Bruce: Copenhagen Conference Must Deliver Comprehensive Climate Change Deal

4.36.00pm GMT Tue 8th Dec 2009

Gordon MP Malcolm Bruce has joined with many of his constituents in calling for UK Ministers at the Copenhagen Climate Change Conference to deliver a comprehensive global deal on emissions reductions, after a new poll revealed that two thirds of people in Scotland consider climate change a problem that requires immediate and urgent action.

Representatives of 192 countries are meeting in Copenhagen to negotiate a new political agreement on climate change to replace the targets set out in the Kyoto Protocol, which will expire in 2012.

Mr Bruce has contacted the Prime Minister to support his constituents’ calls for an agreement that will commit industrialised countries, including the UK, to reduce carbon emissions by 30% by 2020.

Commenting, Mr Bruce said:

‘Climate change is an issue that is affecting the lives of people in Scotland right now, as the recent flooding in Huntly, Newmachar and Kintore demonstrated clearly.

‘I put it to the Prime Minister last week, that alongside an urgent need for additional flood defence at home, there is a clear need for a new international agreement to mitigate the possibility of catastrophic climate change.’

‘In Copenhagen, differences of opinion on certain issues must not be allowed to distract attention from the pressing issue at hand. We know why a new agreement is so important – world leaders must now come together to establish the details of how and when the fight against climate change will begin in earnest. ’

Notes:

• Malcolm Bruce has today written to the Prime Minister again to relay the concerns of those constituents who have contacted him asking for the UK Government to agree to a comprehensive agreement at the Copenhagen talks.

• Malcolm Bruce spoke in the House of Commons last week at Prime Ministers Questions (2 December 2009, c1106)

Malcolm Bruce (Gordon, Liberal Democrat):

When the Prime Minister goes to Copenhagen next week, will he not recognise that securing a commitment to the £100 billion fund that he is looking for in 2020 will be essential to securing a deal from the developing countries? But at the same time, will he reflect that, given the floods that we have in this country-in Cumbria, in Huntly in my constituency and elsewhere-we need a partnership between the Government and the insurance industry to ensure that we have the means to cope with climate change? Local authorities in the present climate will not be able to do it alone.

Gordon Brown (Prime Minister):

The right hon. Gentleman is Chairman of the International Development Committee and I am grateful for what he says about the climate change conference and the need to help the poorest countries. Our policy is to deal with climate change at home and abroad. There should be no doubt about the scientific evidence before us that shows the need to act on climate change. I thought we had moved beyond that argument to looking at what we need to do. At home we will continue to invest in a low-carbon economy, and I believe that in the pre-Budget report next week, the right hon. Gentleman will see action to move forward that investment so that we are a low-carbon economy of the future, one that can lead the world. Abroad, it is important that we make sure that there is sufficient finance for developing countries to enable them to come to a deal in Copenhagen in a few days' time. We already have agreement on start-up finance. We now need to get an agreement on how we can move forward that finance over a period of years.