Ethos Perspectives
Global Warming: A New Political
Climate for Change?
Introduction
Historically an amorphous and contentious
term, ‘climate change’ has become a global policy
watchword in recent years.
A new political climate for global warming
can be observed in the following three complementary ways.
First, the international scientific and NGO communities have
communicated an unprecedented urgency to address the issue.
Second, the major carbon-emitting countries
of the United States, European Union, Australia and China
and other governments have responded to the research outcome
and new wave of climate-related disasters with mitigation
efforts such as national impact studies, energy efficiency
measures, greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions caps, and carbon
trading systems. Finally, global industry players have adopted
a proactive stance towards climate change by revising their
corporate strategies to manage environmental risk, build new
competitive advantage and increasingly, to influence government
policy.
Challenges remain however, in light of longstanding
political fissures stalling diplomatic progress on climate
change. Partnership gaps, blame-pushing and the appropriate
allocation of responsibility between western industrialised
nations (United States, Australia) and developing countries
(China) occupy centre-stage, with a post-2012 Kyoto Accord
hanging in the balance.
The spotlight has also been placed on Asia,
in adverse terms of both being disproportionately impacted
by and impacting climate change. The Intergovernmental Panel
on Climate Change’s (IPCC) Fourth Assessment Report
(Phase II) painted a sombre reality for the region being one
of the high-risk areas to global warming effects.
Southeast Asia’s transboundary haze
pollution record, coupled with its current biofuel drive,
have received more unfavourable global attention this year
as Indonesia’s carbon-emitting forest (especially peatland)
fires are touted to position the country as the third highest
carbon contributor in the world. The International Energy
Agency (IEA) has also brought forward its 2006 prediction
that ‘China will surpass the United States in becoming
the lead emitter in 2009’ to this year, given the economic
giant’s unexpected 11.1% first-quarter growth and corresponding
coal consumption boom.
Aside from the political stalemate over
sensitive issues that entrench upon individual country responsibility
and rights to development, what are the issues and tasks that
governments could jointly address in order to mitigate the
global impact of climate change?
This issue of Ethos Perspectives highlights
four recent studies that provide calculated scenarios and
approaches for governments to provide adequate policy responses
to climate change.
Reference 1: “Stern Review
Report on the Economics of Climate Change”
The key message of the British
government-led Stern Review is that there is still time for
ameliorative action against climate change, incurring only
around 1% of global GDP each year. Otherwise, a failure to
act within the next decade to reduce global carbon emissions
by 2050 to 60% to 80% below the 1990 level would incur five
to 20 times the annual costs of present palliative efforts.
The first part of the Review focuses on
the economic impacts of climate change of mitigation efforts.
The Review suggests that some sectors and countries may face
higher costs, with certain impact on the competitiveness of
internationally traded products and processes. The second
half of the Review highlights three policy elements to support
the economic changes: (1) carbon pricing via tax, trading
or regulation; (2) innovation-engendering policies, such as
for low-carbon technologies; and (3) the removal of barriers
to energy efficiency, including the role of public education.
Finally, in support of what needs to be
a global effort to tackle the ‘greatest and
widest-ranging market failure ever seen,’
the Review recommends four approaches for governments to adopt:
(1) emissions trading; (2) technology cooperation; (3) action
to reduce deforestation; and (4) climate change adaptation
strategies.
Sir Nicholas Stern and the Stern Review
team. Stern Review Report on the Economics of Climate Change.
HM Treasury, United Kingdom: January 2007. http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/independent_reviews/stern_review_economics_climate_change/
stern_review_report.cfm (accessed May 01, 2007).
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