Countdown to Copenhagen: bridging the development divide

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The BBC World Service Trust (BBC WST) has joined forces with BBC World News at the European Development Days – a major international development conference – to broadcast a special edition of the World Debate programme on the challenges of the much anticipated UN climate change summit in Copenhagen.

Can the Copenhagen summit broker a new deal on climate change? A panel including Jose Manuel Barroso and Mario Molina, advisor to Barack Obama, discuss the issues at stake.

World Debate panel at Stockholm

We have just 50 days to break the “vicious circle of mistrust” between the developed and developing world in favour of a “virtuous circle” that can pave the way for a global climate deal at the UN summit in Copenhagen, said Jose Manuel Barroso at a BBC World Debate recording on Thursday 22 October.

Over 400 delegates at the European Commission's development forum European Development Days in Stockholm, Sweden filled an auditorium to watch the debate “The Copenhagen summit on climate change: can it succeed?”

The EU president was joined on the panel by Barack Obama’s climate change adviser Mario Molina, Chair of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Rajendra Pachauri and Changhua Wu, Greater China Director of The Climate Group.

BBC World News presenter Stephen Sackur led the discussion, which covered the need for clear emissions reduction targets, the rights of developing countries, technology transfer for green development, and the critical issue of sealing a fair deal for all at the climate summit.

A challenge and an opportunity

Panellists agreed that climate change presents a huge challenge, especially for development. Yet they urged the world to rise to the challenge and were hopeful of the new opportunities that climate change also presents for green development.

“We know the solutions”, said Changhua Wu. “Now we must make sure they are implemented.”

Backing the need for developing nations to industrialise in a similar way to developed nations in order to pull people out of poverty, Rajendra Pachauri argued that “a certain amount of fossil fuels are necessary.”

He reminded the panel that “400 million Indians still have no access to electricity”, adding that an attitude of “sun and dung is good for you, coal and oil is good for us” is not fair on less developed nations.

Technology transfer

Speaking on the issue of technology, Changhua Wu saw a major role for leading developing countries such as China. “It is not just about developing nations saying ‘give me the technology,’ technology needs to be adapted and owned locally”, she said.

Former president of Botswana and winner of the Mo Ibrahim good governance prize Festus Mogae added a comment from the floor, calling for a technology fund from “superpowers” such as America, China and Europe to help those most affected, specifically in sub-Saharan Africa.

Climate change is the biggest challenge of our time. Africa is already feeling the devastating consequences. We have 50 days to break a vicious circle of mistrust and make a virtuous circle of trust

Jose Manuel Barroso, EU president

Mary Robinson, the former Irish president, also saw the need for a “major adaptation fund” to help those at the frontline of climate change. “People are hurting right now”, she added.

Political leadership

Mario Molina was optimistic of stronger US leadership on climate change, saying that “President Obama is personally committed [to reaching an effective deal at Copenhagen].”

All panellists agreed that US leadership was critical, with Pachauri calling for Obama to “lend his weight” to the issue more strongly.

Looking ahead

The World Debate was a partnership event bringing together the BBC WST, BBC World News and the European Commission. You can watch the video here. It was timed to link in to both the UN summit to be held in Copenhagen in December and to highlight the preliminary findings of Africa Talks Climate (ATC), a major research and communication initiative. Funded by the British Council, ATC has highlighted the critical need for information about climate change, information that will help African citizens to adapt to environmental challenges they will face.

In addition to the World Debate, the BBC WST hosted a video booth where many of the 5,000 delegates recorded a message to share their voices for and about the developing world aimed at Copenhagen.

These opinions will be added to www.africatalksclimate.com and will form part of the BBC WST’s presence at Copenhagen.

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