Climate sceptics denounced by Brown as he launches climate change group
go ‘against the grain’ of science
the grain” of scientific evidence, as he launched a new group to raise billions
of pounds for the fight against global warming.
annually by 2020 – to help poor countries limit their contribution to global warming
and adapt to its effects.
encourage low-carbon development and adapt to rising sea levels, extreme weather
events and higher temperatures.
in December, Mr Brown today said that he believed sufficient offers were on the
table to meet some of the conference’s key goals.
80% of global emissions,” he said. “Already we can say that if promises are met,
the accord will lead to a peaking of global emissions by or before 2020 and make
it possible for us to hold the trajectory of global temperature increases to 2C.”
in Cancun, Mexico, later this year, he said.
increasingly under attack, following the hacking of researchers’ emails and the
revelation that an inaccurate assertion about melting glaciers was included in
the influential 2007 report by the UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.
the group today.
global warming and climate change are indeed challenges that the world must meet
and that can only be met together,” he said. He has previously denounced what
he described as “anti-science, flat-earth climate sceptics”.
in the northern hemisphere – which is currently causing heavy snowfall in the
New York area – disproves the global warming hypothesis.
in New York, but the overall tradition of scientific evidence suggests that global
warming is happening much faster than one may realise,” said Mr Ban.
important we face – combating climate change by ensuring that the poorest countries
have the finance necessary to do so”.
of climate change can also be solved. The task before us, while daunting, is a
very important one to the future of the environment of the world.”
come on top of official development aid, and acknowledged that private sources
must be found for some of the money – for instance by auctioning national emissions
allowances.
UK is committed to paying its share of the up to $30bn required by developing
countries from 2010. We will stand by and make our commitment real to that part
of the agreement at Copenhagen.”
said: “$10bn a year might sound like a wave of new money for poor countries to
tackle climate change, but in reality it’s a drop in the ocean compared to what
is required. What’s worse is that most of this money from rich countries will
be plundered from existing aid budgets.” Last month the UK government admitted that its £1.5bn contribution to the 2010-2012 funding
would be taken from its existing overseas aid budget.