Satellite picture

Stavros Dimas at launch event of the European Commission and the All Party Parliamentary Group on Climate Change co-operation for 2007, London, 11 January 2007

Some quotes:

… The reality of climate change is already with us. In the United Kingdom, 2006 was the warmest year since records began in 1659. On the global level, the ten hottest years have all been occurred since 1990. There can be no issue where results are more urgently needed than in addressing climate change.

One of the first policy documents that I presented to the Commission after I was appointed as the EU Commissioner for Environment was called ‘Winning the Battle against Climate Change’. This policy document, or ‘Communication’ as we call it in Brussels, was one of the most important achievements of the Barroso Commission because it outlined the key elements for the EU’s climate change strategy.

It became the blueprint for the European response to climate change and, with the support of the Member States (and in particular the UK Presidency), the main ideas were taken up by the international community at the 2005 Climate Conference in Montreal. The Communication is a clear example of what we mean by European leadership and it set the basis for the paper on Climate Change that was adopted yesterday.

But there is one thing that we got wrong … and that is the title. Because as the scientific evidence accumulates it is clear that the fight against climate change is much more than a battle. It is a world war that will last for many years and probably for many generations.

Damaged economies, refugees, political instability, and the loss of life are typically the results of war. But they will also be the results of unchecked climate change. It is like a war because to reduce emissions something very like a war economy is needed. All sectors: transport, energy, agriculture and foreign policy must work closely together to meet a common objective.

And it is a world war because every country in the world will be affected by the results of climate change - although it will be the poorest who are hit hardest.

… Political challenges are increasingly global in their nature and there can be no more obvious case than climate change where there is no alternative to global cooperation. No country can tackle climate change in isolation. The UK’s emissions of greenhouse gasses are responsible for about 2% of the global total. EU emissions are responsible for about 14%. A global response is the only possible solution and there are five clear reasons why this will need a strong and effective European Union.

… The science on climate change is clear and we can see the evidence is before our eyes. We have a good idea of the likely social, environmental and following the Stern Review - economic cost of climate change. We already have the basic technologies that can reduce emissions … and these are being improved all the time. We have the resources to make the necessary investments.

If we are to have a chance of successfully tackling climate change the real challenges are not scientific, or technical or economic. They are political. We have clear political commitments from Europe’s leaders to make the fight against climate change a top priority. But when it comes to making difficult economic choices there is still a gap between the rhetoric and the reality.

… A firm commitment by the EU and the rest of the developed world to tough emissions reductions is essential if are to convince developing and transition countries to take action. But without the cooperation of these countries it will simply not be possible to keep global warming within 2 degrees Celsius. By 2020 they together will be emitting more than developed nations.

…Effective international action on climate change means going beyond national self-interest and pooling sovereignty. No other international environmental organisation has these tools at its disposal - and the result is that action through the EU really works while other international efforts can often end up as little more than talking shops. To put it another way, “… if the EU didn’t exist, then the challenge of climate change means that we would need to invent something very similar”.

This is a fact that is recognised by the European public and environment is one of the policy areas where there is the highest levels of support for EU action. The environment is also one issues where the EU can best connect with its citizens. As we celebrate the 50th anniversary of the creation of the European Union I am convinced that protecting the environment – and in particular tackling climate change – will be at the very heart of the European project over the next 50 years. The alternative is to surrender in the war against climate change … and that is really no alternative at all.

Full speech