Copenhagan urged to share Scotland's ambition

Alyn Smith MEP is today (Wednesday) leaving the plenary session of the Parliament in Strasbourg a day early to go to Copenhagen to join colleagues in lobbying the COP-15 climate change conference. He is urging delegates to share Scotland's ambition and deliver a binding, transparent, ambitious and properly funded climate change deal.

The MEP last week circulated a briefing paper outlining Scotland's real action in delivering action on all aspects of the climate change agenda to all MEPs and European parliament staff, as well as all ambassadors and heads of mission of the international community in Brussels. The briefing aimed to make them aware of the role Scotland has played, and could play as a normal independent state.

Mr Smith, who was nominated as Politician of the Year in Scotland's Green Energy Awards 2009, was active on the energy agenda as an alternate member of the Parliament's Energy Committee in the 2004-09 mandate, pushing successfully for ambitious EU targets in energy efficiency and promoting renewable energy which resulted in the "202020 by 2020" package successfully adopted.  He has also pushed for both equitable aid and trade policies which protect the developing world as well as promote fair trade and trade justice.  All these agendas collide in the talks at Copenhagen.

Speaking from Strasbourg, Mr Smith said:

"It was initially inspiring to see a progressive northern European country such as Denmark, take a leading role in gathering the world to its capital, with so many countries smaller than Scotland taking their seats in the hall to commence talks.

"Scotland's five million people have been blessed with the world's best energy resources, from old but still vital technologies in coal, oil and gas to current and developing technologies in wind, hydro, biomass, and the glittering future technologies of biofuels, tidal and wave and photovoltaic technologies.  Our energy resources are right now creating real jobs in the real economy, as well as reducing emissions. 

"We have in the Scottish Climate Change Act the world's most ambitious legislation on climate change, supported by all Scottish parties.  We have a massive national stake in these talks, and a massive contribution to make.  It is simply shaming that we have been relegated to the fringes.  I was proud to see our First Minister signing a co-operation agreement between Scotland and the Maldives, one of the world's states most in danger if these talks do not deliver.

"I will certainly be doing all I can to see the conference share Scotland's ambition, I am taking plenty copies of the briefing with me.  From my experience of talks like these before, albeit on a much smaller scale with only 27 states involved, much of the real bargaining will take place in the margins, the coffee bars and the meetings outside the meeting.  I'll be there doing what I can."