'Moral duty' to tackle climate change

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A gathering of international parliamentarians has been informed that 'climate change is a reality'.

Speaking at the ministerial opening of the 3rd International Parliamentary Conference on Climate Change, hosted by the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association UK Branch, foreign office minister Henry Bellingham warned delegates not to "ignore the facts" of changing temperatures.

Bellingham, the minister with responsibility for climate change, said:

"Climate change is a reality. The climate is altering and we have more extremes of climate. We can see that in many parts of the world, global temperatures are rising"

"Climate change is one of the most important issues facing the international community at the moment. There are risks in global warming for all of us and we all have a responsibility to attempt to avoid the effects of dangerous increases in global temperatures."

Bellingham told delegates of the premium that the coalition government is placing on combating climate change, stating that the prime minister was eager for the UK to have "its greenest government ever".

Noting that the UK was committing £1.5bn in support for other governments to reduce their own carbon emissions between now and 2012, Bellingham said:

"Our government is determined to play its part. We stand by the Copenhagen accord and want to see ambitious action to ensure that global temperatures do not rise by more than two degrees Celsius.

But the MP for North West Norfolk stated that Britain could not seek to tackle climate change unilaterally, and was grateful for the support of partners from the Commonwealth and beyond.

"The best way to reduce emissions is to work with partners, particularly in the Commonwealth. Parliamentarians play a vital role in discussing climate change issues and co-operating to find solutions. I'm sure this conference will be a huge success and I hope that you will return to your parliaments and encourage your colleagues to take these issues seriously."

"Across the Commonwealth, parliaments are lobbying governments to address climate change, and the British government applauds and welcomes the important role that parliaments play to push for urgent and decisive action."

Answering questions by conference delegates from Uganda and Egypt, Bellingham discussed the importance of raising awareness amongst both the general public and parliamentarians.

He noted that "Parliaments have a role to play in impressing on countries their moral duty to address climate change."

Following Mr Bellingham's opening remarks, Dr William Shija, secretary general of the CPA secretariat, welcomed attendees and encouraged them to fully utilise the conference as a forum for discussion and an exchange of ideas.

Shija said: "Parliamentarians need to put in serious thought at this conference into how we can tackle climate change. I am excited about sitting down with the delegates and discussing how we can move forward."

For more information on the 3rd international parliamentary conference on climate change, please view this press release and CPA UK's dedicated ePolitix page.