Environment Minister Jane Davidson welcomes the climate change deal that has been reached at the UN climate summit in Cancun.
Despite there being difficult moments throughout the negotiations, the 190 countries present at the Summit have reached an agreement to globally tackle climate change, and have recognised the importance of engaging with subnational governments.
As part of the deal, a Green Climate Fund has been established and will see funds from the West given to developing nations to help protect them against the impacts of climate change and to assist in their low-carbon development.
It was also agreed and formally recognised that current emission pledges are not high enough, and there is a need for deeper emission cuts.
However, the negotiations failed to decide upon the legal status of any new global agreement.
Speaking from Cancun where the Minister represented the interests of the Welsh Assembly Government, Mrs Davidson said:
“I whole-heartedly welcome the deal that has been reached.
“The negotiations were not without their dicey moments but Ban Ki-Moon made clear early on in the process that delegates should not hold out for perfection when he said ‘don’t let the perfect be the enemy of the good’ and delegates rose to this challenge.
“Wales is particularly delighted that our efforts to secure recognition for the role of subnational and local governments in the formal text going forward were successful and we can build on this recognition in the run up to South Africa next year.
“It has been wonderful to witness countries that were initially reluctant, being resoundly cheered when they made commitments which enabled this deal to be reached.
“It is a tribute to the Mexican Government for its work in creating such a transparent and inclusive process that has managed to bring together in this deal the Maldives, which is under a very real immediate threat from climate change, Lesotho, a close friend of Wales and the country co-ordinating the least developed countries in the world, and the US, along with many, many more.”
Subnational governments such as Wales were extremely well represented at Cancun this year demonstrating that across the world action is already being taken.
The Minister added:
“When it is estimated by the UN that between 50 per cent and 80 per cent of actions that need to be taken take place below member state level, our input and others demonstrated that tackling the threat of climate change creates new economic opportunities through the low carbon revolution.
“The Assembly Government’s commitment to reduce emissions by 3 per cent per annum to reach 40 per cent by 2020 was seen as an exemplar and we look forward to working with other progressive states and regions across the world to deliver in that commitment , creating green jobs in the process.
“It was quite clear that Copenhagen talks failed to achieve the deal that we were looking for last year, however these talks which have taken place out of the public eye and have coincided with NASA’s findings that 2010 will be the hottest year on record, have vindicated the UN process.
“Clearly, there is still a way to go before we get to the legal deal that is required, but after hundreds of hours of negotiations and thousands of cups of coffee, the world is a safer place.”
