26 November 2010
Churches tell world leaders to create low carbon economies
Churches are urging political leaders to lay out plans for low
carbon economies at the Cancun follow-up to the Copenhagen Climate
Change Conference.
The Methodist Church, The United Reformed Church and The Baptist
Union of Great Britain have stressed the importance of new sources
of finance in closing the global climate investment gap. They have
called on the Cancun Conference in Mexico to support duties on
aviation and shipping and to allocate revenue from carbon allowance
auctions to an international climate finance depository. An
international bank levy is also among the measures recommended to
raise the $100 billion a year needed to tackle climate
change.
Steve Hucklesby, Policy Adviser for the Methodist Church, said:
"The Copenhagen Conference established that developing countries
will need $100 billion dollars each year to help develop low carbon
economies. This is a huge challenge but it is achievable. We need
sources of grant finance which are predictable and sustainable. We
can't rely on loans when so many countries are already struggling
with debt. At Cancun we must start to lay down the financial
architecture to support that goal."
Climate finance will also help countries adapt to the impact of
climate change. Cyclone shelters, rising tube wells, floating
gardens, raising and strengthening homes are among the climate
adaptation measures being used in Bangladesh to cope with rising
sea levels, melting Himalayan glaciers and increasingly powerful
cyclones.
Commenting on the failure of the Copenhagen Climate Summit to agree
globally binding emission targets, Frank Kantor, Secretary for
Church and Society of the United Reformed Church, said: "Europe has
a chance to rebuild trust with poorer countries at Cancun but this
will require EU countries to deliver on their three year pledge of
€7.2 billion fast-start finance to help developing countries cut
emissions and adapt to climate change between 2010 and 2012.
"The EU has a unique opportunity to gain significant investment in
renewable energy technologies by upping its carbon reduction target
from 20 to 30 per cent by 2020. According to a new study compiled
by think-tank e3g, a fall in carbon prices would reduce investment
incentive in renewable energy projects. As Churches we urge EU
leaders present at Cancun to increase the EU carbon reduction
targets, and thereby send out a clear message to other developed
countries that raising carbon reduction targets to more realistic
levels will contain the rise on global temperatures to less than
two degrees."
Revd Graham Sparkes, Head of Faith and Unity at the Baptist Union
of Great Britain, said: "Developed countries have to recognise
their role as historical polluters. They have to bear the burden
and cost of building a clean-energy future."