Climate Change and Global Social Justice
6 February 2008
The International Development Secretary, Rt Hon Douglas Alexander MP, in a major speech to the Foreign Policy Centre has argued that the world needs to shift its economic development to a low-carbon model. He also announced a tenfold increase in climate change research funding to £100 million over the next five years.
Giving the inaugural Foreign Policy Centre annual lecture at the LSE, the Development Secretary outlined his proposals for a new post-Kyoto global framework to tackle emissions. Mr Alexander argued that while developed countries must take a lead, developing countries must share the responsibility of change by 'leapfrogging' over polluting technologies toward a cleaner economy as their societies develop.
He said:
"Climate change is a defining global social justice issue for our generation. If we do not take the necessary action, we risk condemning the world's poorest people to generations of poverty."
He argued that we must face the reality that climate change has become a major cause of conflict, insecurity and migration. "We must envisage a future when wars are fought not for land, but for water. If today's image of climate change is the polar bear, tomorrow's could be the AK47."
"But if climate change threatens development, it is just as true that development – a new kind of low carbon development – is the only credible response to climate change. For prosperity and economic progress are the best protection for vulnerable communities."
Douglas Alexander outlined three priorities for action:
- Agreeing a global post-Kyoto framework;
- Building a global low-carbon economy; and
- Protecting the most vulnerable
"This will require nothing less than a re-ordering of the global economy towards low carbon development – a huge task in and of itself…This will need a new model of development which does not aspire simply to replicate the path to prosperity taken by the industrialised world. Rather, it must seek to leap decades of polluting development to enable developing countries to move straight to that cleaner and more prosperous future."
To achieve this, "we need to create a carbon price and market that works for the poorest and helps them compete and benefit from a low carbon future…[and] all countries will need to develop and adopt new technology – and actively ensure that such technology is effective in developing countries."
The Development Secretary said:
"I can announce today that the United Kingdom will spend over £100 million over the next five years on research into the science, social and economic impact of climate change for the most vulnerable developing countries, and on helping those countries to put that information to good use.
This is a ten-fold increase on spending compared to the last five years.
"Put simply, in 2005 the world came together to make poverty history. If we do not address climate change we threaten to make poverty the future."
The FPC Annual Lecture was kindly supported by the Joseph Rowntree Reform Trust. It was hosted by the London School of Economics.
Watch video from the event:
http://www.bsn.org.uk/view_all.php?id=13737
Download the full speech (110 kilobyte PDF; need help viewing PDFs?)