Climate Change Deal Still Achievable, says PM Brown

Gordon Brown, the British Prime Minister, expressed hope on January 3rd 2010 that a full new global climate change agreement might remain able to be achieved, even given the less-than-conclusive outcome of the two-week-long Copenhagen Climate Change Conference held in Denmark in December 2009. “I think it's not impossible that the groundwork that was done at Copenhagen could lead to what you might call a global agreement that everybody is happy to stand by”, Mr Brown told the BBC, adding: “...I can see a way forward because what prevented an agreement was suspicion and fear and forms of protectionism that I think we've got to get over.”

No specific features of Mr Brown’s envisaged climate change plan, though, emerged from these comments.

Climate Change Conference Understanding

The Copenhagen Climate Change Conference culminated with a multi-nation understanding struck up between countries including China and the US. This was significantly below the full aim of the summit, which was to forge a new-age Kyoto Protocol for the years ahead, beginning in 2012. The understanding put a maximum ceiling on global temperature rises of two degrees Celsius, but did not elaborate on the climate change technologies and strategies that might be called on to hit this target. Two degrees is widely viewed as the highest point that temperatures around the world can reach before the real effects of climate change – increased sea levels, extreme temperatures and devastating effects on the land – start to be experienced.

It was also agreed that rich nations would help fund climate change programmes in poorer nations

Climate Change Discussions

The nations of the world will gather again in Mexico in 11 months time for a new set of climate change discussions. It is hoped that, here, a Kyoto Protocol replacement will finally be established.

The British Prime Minister, meanwhile, is set to announce details of a multi-million pound wind energy programme for the UK in coming days. This will focus on offshore wind turbine technologies in the North Sea and, in terms of its sheer scope, will stand as a world-leader. More news on this as future facts emerge.

See also:

Developing Nations Back in Climate Change Conference