05/12/2011 Social Affairs, Health and Sustainable Development
Strasbourg, 05.12.2011 - “We in the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe strongly believe that Kyoto should not be allowed to expire without a new regime to replace it. If a new regime cannot be agreed, then Kyoto must continue until this occurs,” Alan Meale (United Kingdom, SOC) warned at the Durban IPU panel on ‘creating a virtuous push and pull cycle for low carbon and renewable energy projects’.
“We therefore believe that the only option that will keep the principles and spirit of Kyoto alive, is to stop the clock on Kyoto and keep its mechanisms operating until such times as a successor regime is found. In this respect we propose that by stopping the clock, the Kyoto mechanisms, core principles and structures will not only not expire, but Parties will be able to continue to act as if Kyoto were still in force, with time being allowed for negotiations for a successor regime,” he said.
“This will encourage Parties to continue to work to reduce their own greenhouse gas emissions with the confidence that a new global regime of binding targets will be delivered against which their reductions will count, rather than to postpone domestic actions simply pending a new global agreement,” Alan Meale continued.
“Climate science tells us that we need to reduce our annual carbon emission level to 20 billion tons by 2030. Which means that each ton of CO2 emitted by 2030 will have to produce up to five times as much added economic value as it does today. The success therefore of businesses in the future has to depend upon the low carbon opportunities of today. To achieve this low carbon economy requires radical changes across a broad spectrum, from individual behaviour to national policies. Such a radical shift requires three main components : capital investment, capacity for execution and policy support,” he added.
“If we are to deliver deep cuts in greenhouse gas emissions in a market economy, there is no real alternative to putting a price on emissions. It is therefore hopeful that new green taxes which are being promoted in China and Australia are part of an accelerating trend,” Alan Meale concluded.