Friends of the Earth Cardiff Cyfeillion y Ddaear Caerdydd

Speakers at the climate change public meeting. Photo: Julian Rosser, Cardiff Friends of the Earth

Cardiff Friends of the Earth is delighted at the strong support some of Cardiff's politicians for tough action on climate change from at a public meeting in the Old Library on Halloween 2009. They rejected the climate trick of carbon off-setting and opted instead for the climate treat of strong measures to reduce carbon emissions at home instead.

Jenny Willott, Liberal Democrat MP; Karen Robson, Conservative Prospective Parliamentary Candidate (PPC); Jenny Rathbone, Labour PPC and Jill Evans, Plaid Cymru MEP all supported proposals for strong international action at the United Nations climate talks in Copenhagen this December.

Leading political consultant Daran Hill opened the meeting by welcoming the 30-strong audience. He then handed over to the coordinator of Cardiff Friends of the Earth, Raoul Bhambral, who set out Friends of the Earth's view of what needs to happen in Copenhagen if the world is to avoid the worst impacts of climate change. These consisted of three key demands, that:

• rich countries make faster and deeper cuts in their emissions (specifically, 40%  reductions by 2020)
• they fund developing countries to help them to adapt to climate change (at least £200 billion a year)
• forests are not included in proposals for future carbon markets.

He said that the UK Government was doing a lot of good things on the one hand, yet on the other it supports damaging proposals such as carbon off-setting. Raoul emphasised that this is a trick and won't solve climate change, because it allows us to continue to pollute at home whilst trying to reduce emissions overseas.

Jenny Rathbone (Labour) said she was “absolutely opposed to off-setting” and that she will continue to dialogue with her colleagues in the Labour party.

Jill Evans (Plaid Cymru) said that off-setting had been “misused since 1992, and should be phased out by 2013”. She also stated that “funding [to help developing countries to adapt to climate change] must be additional to overseas development funds”, and that there should be a “completely separate fund to tackle deforestation.”

Jenny Willott (Liberal Democrat) said, “We can't have buck passing. We have to take responsibility for our own emissions.”

Karen Robson (Conservative) was also direct: “No to carbon off-setting.”

Cardiff Friends of the Earth applauds these statements. We urge all of our politicians to write to Gordon Brown explaining their positions, supporting Friends of the Earth's campaign and to call on the Prime Minister to reject proposals including off-setting.

Rich and industrialised countries accepted their responsibility for the majority of climate change-causing emissions in 1992. As an environmental campaigner it is frustrating to see emissions continue to rise, extreme weather events happen more frequently, and the rainforest being chopped down faster than ever before. The UK and Welsh Governments have taken action at home to reduce emissions – partly thanks to Friends of the Earth's Big Ask campaign which successfully called for the world's first Climate Act. So now we are looking to the United Nations climate talks in Copenhagen for a fair and strong international agreement in December.