The Blue Print

The talks in Copenhagen have not been straightforward, with uncertainty as to whether the big players would attend, developing countries leaving the table and then returning, and the big question as to whether this summit will be a missed opportunity.

The financial pledge made at the end of last week by EU leaders who have negotiated a three-year deal to pay 7.2bn Euros to help poorer nations cope with climate change was described as ‘inadequate’. The target cut in emissions has not found favour either.

The draft deal envisaged emission cuts by rich countries of 25-40% from 1990 levels by 2020 – this has been viewed by developing nations as not going far enough. Small island states and poorer nations of Africa and Latin America have called for the document to endorse the target of keeping the temperature rise since pre-industrial times below 1.5C. This is below the figure of 2C, which was endorsed by the G8 and major developing economies in July, and implies the need for drastic emission cuts. The cuts promised so far come to 18%.

Our small nation needs to do its bit. Wales has provided the example to other nations – principally to sign up to 10% reduction in carbon pollution in 2010 across the Assembly Government estate; 3% a year total cut in carbon emissions in Wales (80% by 2050); all party support for 40% cut in green house gas emissions by 2020.

One of the problems though is the 2010 biodiversity target that the Assembly Government will miss this target. The fact that we have already got a 2026 target set in the Environment Strategy is quite a commitment but without clear lines of responsibility and funding it is hard to see how a future target will be met, and as biodiversity is an indicator of how sustainably we are living, we are clearly failing on the statutory sustainability duty.

What happens in Copenhagen is incredibly important, but we must get our house in order too.

Like many people in this country I am not too keen on our current Prime Minister.

I think he is an awful PM, unappealing, clumsy, he misunderstands the public mood, and has made some fairly dreadful errors since taking over from Blair. That said I do not think he is callous or cruel and in my view the current media frenzy around his hand written letter to the mother of Grenadier Guardsman Jamie Janes has gone too far.

I have no doubt that his handwriting is dreadful, and that he struggles with this basic task probably in part due to his eyesight. To suggest that Brown was dismissive or uncaring about the troops overseas and their families back home is simply wrong and I think that my party as the official opposition ought to be saying so.

I have no doubt that any PM who sends our troops into battle does so in the full knowledge that some will not return, it must be one of the most difficult and emotional decisions for any PM to take. Whilst it is obvious that Brown’s letter has upset the family of Jamie Janes it is not the sort of mistake that politicians would want to make.

Brown said he was mortified. Politics aside I know that all of us would feel exactly the same.