Poznan meeting must maintain momentum

Published on Sunday 30 November 2008 19:58

TODAY, in Poznan, 9,000 people representing governments, NGOs and environmental bodies in 190 countries will attend the start of the UN climate change conference. The task of the conference is to pave the way for a replacement of the Kyoto Treaty on cutting greenhouse gas emissions, to be finalised next year in Copenhagen. What makes the Poznan meeting doubly important is that it will signal whether or not the economic crisis has diverted political interest away from global warming towards the i

The recession is real and spreading to parts of the globe – such as China and the Gulf States – that only six months ago thought they were immune from the crisis. It is understandable, then, that faced with rising unemployment and spiralling public debt, many countries want to delay tackling climate change until the economic storm has passed.

This mood has already gripped the EU, where members such as Poland – which generates 94 per cent of its electricity from high-polluting coal – are backtracking on commitments to slash emissions. As part of a move to improving the existing Kyoto rules, the EU plans to force polluting generating plants to buy expensive carbon permits. The Poles are leading a revolt against this idea, citing the economic crisis as an excuse. Meanwhile, developing countries such as China and India, which are also heavily dependent on burning fossil fuels, are insisting the western economies either bear more of the burden for reducing emissions, or else fund conversion to clean energy in the poorer parts of the world.

Another problem for the Poznan deliberations is the absence of Barack Obama. The Bush administration is in office until January and is still refusing to accept a binding commitment to cut emissions. This may lead all parties to mark time at Poznan in the hope that President Obama will change America's stance on emissions.

However, it would be extremely dangerous for Poznan to sanction a loss of momentum on tackling global warming. Any delay in cutting emissions – even by a year – will only accelerate the onset of irreversible climate change. Any implicit acceptance that short-term economic problems are an excuse for putting off the hard decisions about shifting global energy and consumption patterns will actually make it harder to agree a comprehensive deal in Copenhagen, especially as the recession is likely to last well for several more years.

On the contrary, the downturn is a golden chance to synchronise economics with environmental reform. The huge state borrowing being mobilised to fight the recession can be focused on investing in renewable energy and public transport. Workers freed from declining industries can be switched to green manufacturing. The Poznan conference has to recognise that the recession presents an opportunity and not a problem for tackling global warming.