It is time to tackle the economic crisis and the climate crisis at the same time.

UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown has to be commended for adding climate change to the crowded agenda for the London Summit. Climate Change must be regarded as the most critical – even existential issue confronting the global community.

Ed Miliband (UK Energy and Investment Secretary) is proud of language in the G20 Summit Communiqué:

“(People) now have a sense that the economy of the future we’re trying to build is … a low-carbon economy and that’s very significant.”

Laying Solid Groundwork for Copenhagen

At this summit leaders state clearly and concisely throughout the communiqué the importance of planning for future generations and including a green recovery that includes promotion of low-carbon economies and commitment to achieve agreement in Copenhagen (December 2009 is the deadline for achieving a new climate change regime to replace the failed Kyoto one) .

Download the entire communiqué

Opening statements of the communiqué:

South Korea and U.S. Leading Calls for Climate Friendly Recovery

In an ideal world, leaders at the summit would have committed specific resources or a target of at least 20% of the economic stimulus for identified truly green carbon-friendly investments as president Lee Myung-bak has done for South Korea. Identifying the types of investments that are green including: insulated buildings, expanding rail transit, low carbon vehicles and fuels, subsidizing lean energy production and use, scrapping old cars would also have been remarkable. These green carbon-friendly investments need to replace investment that encourages the old economy – things like replacing bridges and roads which locks in the carbon-intensive economies and lifestyles of old.

Almost certainly, the U.S. would have liked to see firmer economic stimulus commitments, including ‘Climate Friendly’ economic investments. Obama ran a presidential campaign pledging to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 80% by the middle of the century. Obama followed up on this promise by putting the green economy at the center of his economic recovery plan for the U.S. Consensus is emerging among policy makers in Washington on the need to move America away from fossil fuels and cut greenhouse gas emissions.

Obama’s Energy Secretary Steve Chu, back in February made a clear call for action on climate change and Barbara Boxer, chair of the Senate’s environment and public works committee, said “If you want to fight this recession, do it by mobilising to become energy independent with clean energy and really save this planet.”

Insurance & Carbon Reduction Targets

• It could also have been argued that a review of the insurance industry and their base assumptions about climate and weather impacts on the industry’s ability to weather emerging climate change scenarios was in order at this G20 Summit.
• The leaders too, could have locked in agreement on a cap-and-trade or carbon taxing system to discourage carbon emissions.

However, it is clear that such measures are the domain of other international meetings such as the upcoming G8 meeting in Italy this July, or more importantly the Major Economies Meetings on Energy Security and Climate Change meetings and the lead-up to the United Nations Summit in Copenhagen. It is clear that major investments will need to be made to support necessary climate change control initiatives agreed to at these meetings.

Unfair Criticism of G20 on Climate

Some have branded the G20 Communique a failure for Climate Change. As environmental group Greenpeace’s executive director John Sauven remarked, “For making the transition to a ‘green’ economy there is no money on the table, just vague aspirations.”

With so little time at this G20 Summit, and the significant need to create financial oversight and regulation of investment as a top priority, the leaders could not spend the time required to put the finer financial details on the issue of climate change or indeed on any of the fiscal stimulus commitments by G20 members.

The UN General Secretary Ban Ki-moon was encouraged saying, “the G20 leaders recognized the inextricable links between addressing the economic crisis and addressing food security and climate change.”

Despite the Summit Communiqué lacking clear investment targets, climate change advocates must be in agreement that language like the following is a bold step forward that helps create a vision, a framework and a process towards agreement on a comprehensive climate-friendly recovery plan by the end of 2009.

An Agreement to Agree

Kyoto protocol was not universally adapted by world leaders. A such it can only be described as an unsuccessful initiative. The leaders of the G20 have Included a reaffirmation that the leaders of the G20 Nations will agree to terms for a comprehensive climate change solution by the end of 2009.

Low Carbon / Climate Friendly Groundwork is Laid at London Summit 2009

It is encouraging to see that green technology and climate change have made a bold entry on the stage of international economic discussions for the first time. As a result of the commitments made in this G20 communiqué future discussions of economic stimulus must address climate change. For leaders to agree that the issues of economics and climate change are tightly bound is a necessary first step toward achieving a breakthrough agreement on climate change by the end of 2009. This is a significant step forward for the development of the ‘Green Economy’.

Bob Geldof, is an Irish singer, songwriter, actor and political activist who became famous for his achievements including organising Live Aid and Live 8 and being an outspoken agent for change in promoting aid for developing nations stopped to chat with G20 Summit bloggers. I had a chance today to ask Mr. Geldof for his opinion on what world leaders should be doing in regard to climate change.

In short, he says it’s all the same thing, poverty, economic crisis, climate change. It’s a result of city states pursuing economic growth in an unsustainable way.

“All wars are resource wars. We’ve had three governments collapse in the European Union in the last four months. When they emerged from autocracy they expected freedom and wealth and they got despair and poverty and they don’t have the democratic institutions to withstand the social pressures. We do.”

“The people most affected by the economic crisis and climate change are those who had the least to do with causing it. The two problems have the same solutions.”

We need a system of cap and trade to deal with the climate change issue and the monies that are generated by these fees can be used to help rebuild Europe in places where the economies have collapsed.

According to Geldof, “We can build up their economies not in aid, but in a stimulus coming from our carbon emissions.”

The formula of nation states looking after their own needs first makes it difficult to reach an agreement that is in the best interests of everyone.

“We cannot race to the bottom today in London. We must race to the top, we really must race there. The time is up!” says Geldolf.

Most Summits are generally renowned for seeking concensus on issues instead of reaching for a really high goal. The result is often a watered down document that doesn’t offend any of the parties. We need to work on reversing the impact of traditional industrial expansion and work towards supporting green industry. We need to support those nations that are suffering most significantly from the economic shut down – developing nations. We need a plan for economic development that gives people hope for the future.

As Geldof implores, “Politicians need to work together to get it done now. There is no time to wait.”

G20Voice.org has made bloggers the centre of attention on the floor of the media centre at the G20 Summit by working with the UK government to let the voice of ordinary citizens from around the world be heard.

photo: @jessicauribe

He was star-struck meeting Owen Hargreaves, the injured soccer star of Manchester United F.C.

“Owen Hargreaves is one of Canada’s most famous and accomplished international athletes,” said the Prime Minister. “Given soccer’s massive worldwide appeal, it is certainly refreshing to note that one of the sport’s brightest stars is Canadian.”

OK, we get it, Stephen Harper is just like the rest of us. He likes to meet important people. But with a budget approaching $5000/day for each person in Mr. Harper’s entourage, shouldn’t he be more focused on the issues of the Summit while in London?

Canadians have real economic difficulties as a result of the signficant disruptions in the global economy. Fixing it, is what the meetings in London are all about.

How about meeting with G20 leaders to learn about a Green sustainable plan for economic development that moves us beyond the types of industries that are crashing?

How about talking to leaders of the G20 nations and establishing investment priorities that make Climate-Friendly industry a primary focus. By using this forum to promote clean energy technology and green industry, leaders can address two significant challenges:

• take steps towards climate change solutions, raising the bar for Copenhagen meetings later this year.
  
• achieve energy security, reducing our dependance on unsustainable energy policy that promotes instead of discourages carbon emissions.
  

While the Prime Minister joked about Hargreave’s achievements:

“I know that the Red Devils provoke a rather passionate reaction from football fans on both sides of the Atlantic,” joked the Prime Minister. “But that certainly won’t prevent me from rooting for Owen’s continued success. Thank you, Owen, for all you have done to shine the international spotlight on Canadian soccer.”

We hope Mr. Harper has his priorities right when the G20 Leaders ink the communique that moves the global economy towards sustainability. Otherwise, it’s bound to spur a passionate reaction from all those workers whose livelihood is threatened by current global economic uncertainty. We’re looking to the prime minister to step into the spotlight and promote Canada’s agenda, providing a real economic solution for Canadians.

April 2 addendum:

Just to prove how important the meeting with world leaders was to Canada, Mr. Harper’s staff even dropped the ball when it came time for the group photo on April 2. Some reports claimed Stephen Harper was in the toilet.

Asked if summit officials could use Photoshop to insert an image of him, an aide laughed: “That’s a good question.”

A better question might be, “Are Canadians getting their tax dollar value out of this important European tour?”

top photo: andreasmisera

A First for Bloggers

This is the first time bloggers have attended an event such as this. And to the credit of the UK Government who gave bloggers with G20 Voice permission to attend, the organization was placed in the centre of the media centre!

Upon entering the facility we approached a sign that left me truly bewildered. Where is a multimedia blogger to go, when encountering a sign like this?

photo: vikkichowney

I went to the broadcast side, because they had better food!

Such distinctions are surely designed for media that is created and shared in an old-paradigm. Bloggers who can share video, audio, photos and text are multimedia journalists. All media merges in this space and shortly the distinction between print and video or broadcast and print will be irrelevant.

Bloggers distribute information on the Internet. It isn’t print, it isn’t broadcast, but we have found our voice at the G20 Summit.

Thank you G20Voice.org.