Prime Minister David Cameron is joining more than 120 world leaders, including US president Barack Obama, today at a summit convened by United Nations secretary general Ban Ki-Moon with the intention of restoring momentum to the international battle against climate change.
Downing Street said Mr Cameron will press for strong and early commitments from the international community ahead of next year’s Paris conference, when a new global deal on action to limit climate change is planned.
He will make clear that he will push for a target of at least 40% reductions in greenhouse gas emissions in Europe when he meets fellow EU leaders next month.
But the Prime Minister risks sparking controversy by arguing that the fight to limit global warning to 2C should be seen as an opportunity for economic growth, calling on governments to cut “green tape” to encourage investment in new technologies such as shale gas.
No 10 said he will insist that countries should be allowed to choose their own mix of energy sources, provided overall carbon reduction targets are met, and will stress his belief that gas – including the controversial shale gas – nuclear and carbon capture and storage all have a part to play in the cost-effective reduction of emissions.
A Downing Street source said: “We’ve got further to go in terms of explaining how tackling climate change isn’t simply a green policy, it’s a growth policy. If you’re going to get the world’s biggest economies to stick to the 2C target, you’ve got to be serious about cutting green tape and creating green jobs.”
Environmentalists have staged street demonstrations in Manhattan, as well as cities around the globe including London, in the run-up to the Climate Summit to put pressure on world leaders to sign up to an ambitious deal in Paris in 2015.
Friends of the Earth campaigns and policy director Craig Bennett – who is attending the climate summit – said: “Hundreds of thousands of people took to the streets this weekend to urge the world to end its reliance on coal, gas and oil – our leaders must listen and urgently act.
“David Cameron’s warm words on climate change are completely undermined by his policies at home – massive tax breaks for oil exploration and support for fracking will simply keep our economy hooked on dirty fossil fuels.
“Wealthy nations who have caused this crisis must now take the lead in building a cleaner, safer future based on energy efficiency and clean renewable power.”
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