31 March 2010
The UK government has launched a new action plan on international climate change today.
Called ‘Beyond Copenhagen; The UK Government's International Climate Change Action Plan’, the plan is a vision of what must be done to build on progress made at Copenhagen in December and the Copenhagen Accord.
The Action Plan makes clear that the UK:
- Wants to build on the strengths of the Kyoto Protocol, including extending the agreement as a way of getting the legal deal needed.
- Is in favour of strengthening the UN decision making process that hampered progress at Copenhagen.
- Is keen for the EU to move to a target of a 30% cut in emissions by 2020.
Prime Minister Gordon Brown also co-chaired the High Level Advisory Group on climate finance, the most significant climate meeting since the Copenhagen conference last December.
DFID has also launched its guide to how the UK is working with international community to strengthen the response to climate change in Africa: Climate change in sub-Saharan Africa.The High Level Advisory Group aims to advance progress made on climate finance during the Copenhagen negotiations in December and will look at potential sources of revenue for financing mitigation and adaptation action in developing countries.
It is an important step in building on progress made at Copenhagen, to make the long term finance offer of $100 billion by 2020 more concrete and credible for developing countries, and build support from developed countries.
Prominent finance experts George Soros and Nick Stern joined finance ministers and other heads of state on the group, which will submit its findings to the UNFCCC by COP16 in Mexico this November.
DFID has also launched its guide to how the UK is working with international community to strengthen the response to climate change in Africa: Climate change in sub-Saharan Africa.
Climate change and Africa
Reducing poverty in Africa is inextricably linked with tackling climate change.
Africa already has a highly variable and unpredictable climate - in 2002, 13 million people in southern Africa needed food relief due to drought.
The potential impacts of climate change, on agriculture, food security and water supplies, threaten Africa's development and could undermine efforts to eliminate poverty. Climate change also presents an opportunity for African countries to access low carbon finance that will increase investment in much-needed energy.
Only 8% of the rural population in sub-Saharan Africa has access to electricity.
‘Climate change in sub-Saharan Africa’ describes how the UK is working with Africa and the international community to help strengthen the response to climate change in Africa and its longer term impacts.
