The 69th day

Members of the European Parliament held a press conference on Wednesday. They wanted to make clear that if the EU’s climate policy is weakened over the next couple of days it will be nothing to do with them.

Of course not. They are only elected representatives.

EU Heads of Government will be meeting on Thursday and Friday to agree the final package on reducing emissions within Europe up to 2020. At the moment it looks like between half and two-thirds of the target for reducing emissions by 2020 could be achieved through buying offsets rather than cutting emissions in the EU.

MEPs want a limit on offsets, but governments are not listening. The UK has supported half of the EU’s reductions being made through offsets.

On Thursday environment ministers arrive in Poznan and the pace is expected to quicken. Ed Miliband will be here for the UK, fresh faced just 69 days into his new job of Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change.

There are three things Ed could say in his speech on Thursday to inject a bit of life and leadership into Poznan, something which has so far been invisible from rich countries.

1) Accept the advice from his own Committee on Climate Change, given last Monday, that UK emissions need to fall by 42 per cent on 1990 levels by 2020.

2) Say that the UK will offer money to support cuts in emissions in developing countries, in addition to cuts at home. The EU has failed to engage at all with developing countries on this issue in Poznan, saying it will be working on proposals in the first three months of 2009. An opportunity for Ed to take a lead.

3) More immediately, funds are needed in the next few years to help communities in poor countries cope with impacts of climate change already being experienced.

National plans in 38 least developed countries have identified ₤1 billion is needed over the next three years for concrete actions. Whilst tens of billions will be needed later on as the impacts of climate change get worse, the ₤1 billion is needed now.

Ed could come bearing a cheque with the UK’s contribution. Of course, it has to be additional to other aid funds, or its just robbing Peter to pay Paul.

On board the Thalys to Cologne

This is the third time in my life that I’ve been on the Brussels-Cologne train. Previous journey’s on this route have allowed time to be spent drinking a morning beer in Brussels town square or visiting the museum of chocolate in Cologne. Today is different. Today has been work.

The morning started in Westminster at the launch of the UK’s Committee on Climate Change advice to the government on how to reduce our greenhouse gas emissions. The Committee has advised the government that UK emissions need to be reduced by more than 40 per cent by 2020 (on 1990 levels), and that all coal power stations will need to close in the early 2020s unless they capture and store the CO2 they produce.

Ed Miliband, the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, was there too saying that he “shares the vision” of the committee of a “radical decarbonisation of the UK economy”.

Then I dashed across London, onto the Eurostar, flicked through the committee’s report and am now writing this on route to Germany. More work done than if I’d been in the office having to answer colleagues questions about how Leeds lost to Histon in the FA Cup.

I doubt Ed Miliband’s rhetoric about radical decarbonisation will have much impact in Poznan. Developing countries have heard such promises before and seen little action.

If all UK coal power stations will need to shut down in the early 2020s unless they capture and store their CO2 , there is no point allowing new coal power stations without CCS to be built now. An announcement from Ed Miliband in the next week ruling out new coal power stations – that would be something which would resonate all the way to Poznan.