Later this month, there will be a United Nations climate change summit inCancun,Mexico. It is expected that 194 countries will be represented. This bringing together of so many nations is surely a great achievement at many levels but with the potential for some embarrassment. There are some obvious pitfalls to avoid but not everyone does.
For each nation arriving at Cancun, the media can legitimately ask, “What is the size of their motorcade and its engines?”, “How large is that country’s staffing support?”, “Are your serious about the number of aircraft that you have used to get here?”. These are sometimes tough questions to be answered but they are right to be asked. The media is there to make some of the points that we would if we were present.
There will be many challenges at Cancun. The strengthening BRIC (Brazil,Russia,India,China) economies will use huge amounts of resources and contribute much towards global warming if they simply grow according to the formulae used in the past by countries such asBritainand theUnited States. That is a conundrum and a challenge. Looking at the near horizon, economic growth can indeed reap substantial benefits for countries and their people.
It does not take much effort to look a little further. The previous government famously advised us that we would need several planets if every country had the standard of living that we enjoy inBritain. That is understandable when we consider that our island has just one percent of the world’s population.
Expectations must be horrendously difficult to manage. Why shouldn’t people in emerging economies have their time in the sun, with an enhanced lifestyle that they can already see in the West? Of course, the associated levels of consumption are multiplied by much higher populations, an argument that the West is bound to use.
It becomes increasingly difficult for the developed countries to lecture on these matters as their consumption per head of population is much greater. The emerging economies can show that per head of population, their use of resources lags well behind. This is one of the key drivers for countries such asBritainto address their per capita consumption. Otherwise how can we offer leadership on this matter without being hypocritical?
We should also promote the evidence that long-term, unbridled and ill-considered economic growth is unsustainable. There would at some point clearly not be enough for everyone. On current trends, with today’s population growth, our efforts appear aimed at maximising our tenure on one planet, rather than guaranteeing that situation in perpetuity. Nevertheless some commentators seem to have found another planet, been there and returned safely.
I refer to those people who continue to deny the reality of climate change and its challenges. Denial is a bad starting point and we have fortunately avoided this inCrawley, where we have a firm commitment to doing our bit to tackle climate change. Crawley Council is proud to be the face of the national 10:10 campaign, where we are signed up to reduce our carbon emissions by 10 percent in 2010. It is a small contribution but we all have our part to play.
Councillor Bob Lanzer, Leader of Crawley Borough Council
17th November 2010