Ignoring climate change like appeasing Hitler, says UK Minister

The UK’s Energy and Climate Change Minister has likened world leaders opposing a global agreement to help prevent climate change, as potentially making the same mistake that politicians made in appeasing Hitler prior to World War Two.

"This is our Munich moment" the Minister declared, drawing parallels with what was widely regarded as a failed act of appeasement toward Nazi Germany, the 1938 Munich Agreement. Speaking at London’s Chatham House, Chris Huhne made the extraordinary claim as he urged leaders to act now to avoid a global catastrophe that could bring a further rise in global temperatures, frequent natural disasters and unprecedented levels of famine and drought.

Since the economic crisis the issue of tackling climate change has been pushed back within political agendas, with Huhne believing that leaders need to reprioritise the issue and double their efforts. From 2013, there will be new political leadership in the world's major economies. We hope to have put the global recession behind us. The stars may be more closely aligned in favour of a binding legal deal," Huhne said. "Climate change is getting less political attention now than it did two years ago. There is a vacuum, and the forces of low ambition are looking to fill it. Giving in to the forces of low ambition would be an act of climate appeasement,” added Huhne.

For Huhne’s vision to be realised countries need to agree on whether the best solution for tackling climate change is either an extension to the United Nations Kyoto Protocol, which ends next year, or a new broader initiative. As it stands the Kyoto Protocol only exists in developed countries, and with poorer nations stating that rich nations are responsible for the majority of greenhouse gas emissions, they are demanding an extension before they sign up. However, other nations including Japan, Russia and Canada want to see a new more expansive resolution. Huhne stressed, "We cannot wait for every country to become equal, because that would mean waiting for an eternity. At some point, we must draw a line and say: this starts now. This starts here.”

Image: David Spender | Wikimedia Commons