Britain’s prosperity lies in low carbon future, says PM
Greenwise Staff
23rd December 2009
Prime Minister Gordon Brown has attempted to settle any business jitters about Britain’s move to a low carbon economy, following the disappointing climate agreement signed in Copenhagen last week.
In a podcast following the negotiations in Copenhagen that failed to deliver a binding treaty to replace the Kyoto Protocol in two year’s time, the Prime Minister said that “Britain’s long term prosperity lies in leading the necessary transformation to a low carbon, greener future”.
He said Britain “must become a global leader not just in financing greener technologies but in the development and manufacture of wind, tidal, nuclear and other low carbon energy.
“And as we look towards a new decade, be assured that your Government will play its part in supporting the ambitions of our entrepreneurs and leading businesses and the expertise of our scientists and engineers in making this transformation,” he said.
Brown talked of the challenges of the summit and said “never again should we face the deadlock that threatened to pull down those talks”.
He called for a central body to chair future talks, saying, “I believe that in 2010 we will need to look at reforming our international institutions to meet the common challenges we face as a global community.”
Following the Copenhagen summit, the Prime Minister pledged to lead an international campaign to turn the agreements established at the Copenhagen summit on climate change into a legally binding treaty. And he told delegates at a post-Copenhagen meeting held by the Department of Energy and Climate Change that they must “continue with the momentum from Copenhagen” by working towards a climate change treaty in coming months.
UK business has voiced its disappointment at the outcome of the Copenhagen summit and has called for the need for a legally binding agreement to be adopted as soon as possible.
“The Copenhagen Accord is a missed opportunity, and a disappointing conclusion to two years of negotiations,” said Richard Lambert, CBI director-general, this week. “There is now a real need to maintain momentum in order to agree as soon as possible on a legally binding replacement to the Kyoto Protocol, which expires in 2013."