POZNAN, Poland (Bandillo ng Palawan)—Political leaders cannot use the global financial crisis as an excuse to postpone pro-climate policy, as experts say the turmoil actually provides opportunities for creating climate-friendly solutions that promote economic growth.
Nearly 75 percent of some 1,000 climate change experts from the public and private sectors agreed that equitable economic development can be achieved while making significant progress in combating climate change, according to a global survey released Tuesday on the sidelines of the UN conference on climate change in this historic city.
Researchers from the international public opinion firm GlobeScan conducted the online survey in November with support from several agencies, including the World Bank and the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN).
“The fact that these decision makers across the world don’t see any inherent conflict between the economy and climate action certainly challenges the governments meeting in Poznan to move forward in spite of the current economic crisis,” said GlobeScan chairman Doug Miller.
Respondents from 115 countries listed energy efficiency and the removal of subsidies for high carbon activities as the top priorities in achieving pro-climate goals. Technology transfer, more investments in natural ecosystems, and low carbon lifestyles also ranked high among the factors that could lead to climate change solutions.
IUCN director general Julia Marton-Lefevre welcomed the survey results, saying: “Biodiversity underpins the well-being of human societies and their economies. We now have an understanding of the clear link between conservation and climate and that healthy ecosystems are the best defense against climate change.”
However, the respondents also believe that the price of carbon has to reach an average of more than $50 per ton, nearly triple its current price of $19 on the European Climate Exchange, before their organizations would favor climate-friendly decisions over carbon-intensive ones. Majority of the respondents came from Europe and North America.
The survey seemed to reflect the sentiments in the conference, with French lead negotiator Brice Lalonde saying most delegations have agreed that the financial crisis is not a reason for delaying climate-friendly policies.
“The idea is spreading that investing in clean technologies and energy efficiency is probably one of the best answers to the crisis,” he said.
Solar energy and wind farms topped the list of technologies that experts consider as having a high potential to lower carbon levels in the atmosphere. Nuclear power, natural gas, and biofuel from crops ranked low in the GlobeScan survey.
Lalonde said the commitment of US president-elect Barack Obama to work for a reduction of greenhouse gas emissions in his country by 80 per cent in 2050 and invest in clean energy has created a more positive atmosphere in the conference.
Artur Runge Metzger, director of the European Commission’s climate change unit, jokingly said one indication of the negotiators’ upbeat mood was that, “Maybe it’s the first time that in one week, the US has not received the Fossil of the Day (award).”
The environmental group Climate Action Network hands out the award daily to countries that obstruct the talks during the conference, and the US delegation has been a frequent recipient in previous years.
The Philippine delegation in Poznan, led by presidential adviser on climate change Heherson Alvarez, is supporting the US targets as well as efforts to seek greater incentives for the transfer of clean technology to developing countries.
Denmark, the host country for next year’s pivotal talks that will set new targets for carbon emissions among industrialized countries, has presented itself as one of the models for a low carbon economy with high growth.
“Since 1981 we have seen economic growth totaling 75 percent, while energy consumption has remained almost stable,” Danish Climate and Energy Minister Connie Hedegaard wrote in an article posted in their conference website.