Elliot Morley MP, the President of GLOBE International, the Global Legislators Organisation, and the UK Prime Minister's Special Representative, has announced the launch of an International Commission on Climate & Energy Security.
Speaking during the 2008 Annual Meeting of the Board of Governors for the World Bank Group and the International Monetary Fund, Mr Morley said a global political deal on a framework to tackle climate change was crucial: "To achieve this, leadership by the industrialised countries is vital as well as a recognition that well regulated carbon markets and a low carbon economy will be an essential part of future global economics."
"The Italian G8 Summit in May 2009 needs to be a watershed moment to create the political conditions for success at COP15 in Copenhagen the following December. Italy has a unique opportunity to show real leadership by urging leaders to agree the shape of a post-2012 deal, and to do so against a backdrop of challenging economic conditions."
In support of this objective, Mr Morley said: "I can announce that GLOBE will convene in early February in Washington DC a new International Commission on Climate & Energy Security. The Commission will comprise senior legislators from the G8+5 countries. I am asking every G8+5 leader to appoint a senior legislator to the Commission to represent their interests and report directly to them ahead of the Italian G8 Summit."
"The remit of the Commission will be to explore in depth and politically test the specific outcomes required from the G8 Summit in July 2009 to maximise the chances of success at COP15 in Copenhagen. This will be the first G8 summit with a new US president and will clearly reflect on how the international community not only responds to the economic challenges but how we shape the response to climate change. The Summit presents the best opportunity for major progress ahead of Copenhagen."
The Commission will identify, using evidence based economic analysis, the most difficult obstacles to progress in each of the G8+ countries. Key business leaders and experts will be invited to inform the Commission.
Mr Morley added: "The current focus is on the global financial crisis. Although the global financial circumstances in the foreseeable future will be tough, and the decisions on investments, both public and private, will be equally tough, this does not mean we can avoid making the tough decisions to address climate change - it simply means that there is a greater need for political leadership."
"The fact that GLOBE has already shown that it is possible to reach an international agreement between one hundred senior legislators from the G8 and +5 countries at our Tokyo Forum in June of this year, gives me great hope that G8 leaders will rise to the challenge in Italy next year."
"As President of GLOBE International, I am personally committed to ensuring that this Commission helps create the political conditions during challenging economic times for success in Copenhagen and beyond."
"We will now be working very closely with our legislator colleagues to build momentum in the Italian Senate, as we will with all of our delegations in their parliaments, ahead of the G8 summit next year. It is a critical milestone not just for Italy but for the world. I know Italy will grasp that opportunity with both hands."
GLOBE International shadows the formal G8 negotiations - formally participating in the G8 Environment Ministerial and Gleaneagles Ministerial Dialogue - and has already produced formally negotiated policy recommendations from one hundred senior G8+5 legislators on an international cooperation framework for climate change beyond 2012. These proposals feed formally and directly into the G8 negotiations as well as through the GLOBE legislator members to their respective heads of government and party leaders.
Elliot Morley will be speaking during the 2008 Annual Meeting of the Board of Governors for the World Bank Group and the International Monetary Fund on Saturday 11th October. For full text of his speech please contact Carbon International below.
About GLOBE International: www.globeinternational.org
GLOBE is the Global Legislators Organisation for a Balanced Environment (www.globeinternational.org);
GLOBE consists of senior cross-party members of parliament from all G8 countries and the +5 countries of Brazil, China, India, Mexico and South Africa;
GLOBE shadows the formal G8 negotiations (formally participating in the G8 Environment Ministerial and Gleneagles Dialogue) and facilitates high level dialogues and negotiations between legislators on effective environmental and climate change regulation and legislation;
GLOBE has produced formally negotiated policy recommendations from one hundred senior G8+5 legislators on an international co-operation framework for climate change beyond 2012, on sustainable biofuels and on illegal logging as well as position papers on market mechanisms, technology transfer, adaptation and energy efficiency;
These position papers feed formally into the G8 negotiations as well as through the legislators to their respective head of government and party leaders;
GLOBE's objective is to support ambitious political leadership, on issues of environment and sustainable development, from G8 leaders and the leaders of the major emerging economies. This is achieved through the development of high level negotiated policy positions from leading legislators from across the parliaments of the G8 and +5 and informed by business leaders and key international experts.