UK: Climate deal in peril, says Brown

The climate deal planned for Copenhagen in 10 weeks’ time is in grave danger of failure, the prime minister has said.

Gordon Brown has become the first world leader to offer to go to the Danish capital to help seal the deal.

He told Newsweek magazine there was no second chance to undo “catastrophic damage” to the environment if “we miss the opportunity to protect the planet”.
This year’s talks are vital as they aim to produce a successor to the Kyoto Climate Protocol on global warming.

Mr Brown also warned that consumers would have to pay more for energy in the future, whether the UK opts for high or low carbon energy sources.

“What has now become clear is that the push toward decarbonisation will be one of the major drivers of global and national economic growth over the next decade,” he said.

“And the economies which embrace the green revolution earliest will reap the greatest economic rewards.”

Mr Brown said, if necessary, he would go to Copenhagen himself, and his staff said he would urge other leaders to follow suit at the UN this week.

It’s almost inconceivable that this sort of initiative will not be necessary.

Mr Brown also said clean energy investment would put up costs for consumers – but by less than would happen if the UK stuck with fossil fuels.

The costs will be affordable as the economy grows and as energy efficiency improves, he says.

BBC