Brown feels 'optimistic' at Commonwealth climate conference
Commonwealth countries are threatened by rising sea levels
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Friday, 27, Nov 2009 11:14
By Doireann Ronayne
Gordon Brown is in Trinidad today attending the Commonwealth climate change conference, which brings together the leaders of the 53 Commonwealth states.
The prime minister wants to build momentum at the last major summit on climate change ahead of the Copenhagen conference in early December, when he hopes to secure a historical deal on carbon emissions to tackle global warming.
Just ten days before Copenhagen, Mr Brown sees the conference as an ''important springboard'' and said he was ''optimistic'' of agreement on the need for a target to limit average global temperature increases to 2C.
''If we don't act now, present and future generations will not forgive us, '' Mr Brown said.
Mr Brown also proposed a new global fund to encourage poorer countries to start cutting greenhouse gas emissions immediately.
This would see Britain contribute £800 million to a £10 billion rich-world fund to help poorer countries take the necessary steps to stem climate change.
"We have got to provide some money to help that. Britain will do so, the rest of Europe will do so and I believe America will do so as well, " Mr Brown said.
The fund, which would make payments to poorer states that demonstrate they are taking green action such as stopping deforestation or developing low-carbon energy sources, is the prime minister's attempt to break the "deadlock" over a deal in Copenhagen.
Almost half of the Commonwealth's members are island states and have serious concerns about rising sea levels.
It is a unique forum because its members represent developed industrialised countries such as Britain and Australia, emerging economies like India and some of the world's poorest nations. Together they make up one third of the world's population.
Danish prime minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen and French president Nicolas Sarkozy will address the conferences before talks between Commonwealth leaders take place.
Commonwealth secretary general Kamalesh Sharma spoke of ''crushing disappointment'' over the limited progress on climate change made at the Asia Pacific economic summit in Singapore.
He emphasised that for Commonwealth states such as the Maldives, Tuvalu and Kiribati, a significant deal at Copenhagen is a question of survival.
Trinidad and Tobago prime minister Patrick Manning said: "We hope to arrive at a political statement that can add value to the process that will culminate in Copenhagen next month."
Climate change is not the only topic on the agenda, however.
Mr Brown used the opportunity to make it clear that he wants Sri Lanka's to pay the price for its military offensive against the Tamil Tigers this year and will not support the country's plans to host the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in two year's time.
The prime minister believes that Sri Lanka has not demonstrated respect for human rights as around 150,000 refugees remain in closed camps six months after the Tamil separatists were defeated.
President Mahinda Rajapaksa is held responsible by many activists for the deaths of thousands of civilians as Sri Lanka ignored appeals from Britain to allow civilians to escape the war zone.
''The PM has real concerns about Sri Lanka's bid,'' said a Downing Street spokesman.
''We simply cannot be in a position where Sri Lanka - whose actions earlier this year had a huge impact on civilians, leading to thousands of displaced people without proper humanitarian access - is seen to be rewarded for its actions.
Leaders will also discuss Rwanda's entry into the Commonwealth. Strongly backed by some member states, opponents believe it is wrong to reward a country guilty of genocide.