Joint Article from Danish, Swedish, UK, French, Spanish, Finnish and German Foreign Ministers – 4 November 2009

 

There is now a month to Copenhagen. We want, and the world needs, a global deal in Copenhagen that is ambitious and fair. We want this because climate change is not just a planetary emergency but a human emergency. The poorest people are those who are most vulnerable to the impact of climate change. The test we face in December at Copenhagen is a test of our ability to rise to a challenge recognised to be a defining one for our generation.

 

Unchecked, climate change could lead to a 4 degree average rise in global temperature which poses huge consequences for foreign policy. It could mean 4 billion people would regularly suffer from severe water shortages in 2080. It could stimulate mass migration of a further 150 to 200 million people. It could accentuate areas of pre-existing conflict like in the Middle East where currently 5% of the world's population is drawing on only 1% of the world’s water.

 

That is why we, the Foreign Ministers of the UK, Sweden, Denmark, France, Germany, Finland and Spain reaffirm our commitment to working towards a successful deal in Copenhagen that will limit global warming to a maximum of 2 degrees and provide for immediate action to combat global warming. The deal should also provide support to developing countries to help them cope with climate change. We will ensure that the European Union continues to lead the way in showing ambition, urging others to follow our approach. We will continue to engage personally to ensure climate change and that the challenges it poses are prioritised on the international stage and that we and the global community honours our responsibility to support countries that will be hardest hit by the effects of a changing climate.

 

SIGNED BY:

David Miliband, Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, UK

Carl Bildt, Minister for Foreign Affairs, Sweden

Per Stig Moller, Minister for Foreign Affairs, Denmark

Bernard Kouchner, Minister of Foreign and European Affairs, France

Alexander Stubb, Minister for Foreign Affairs, Finland

Miguel Ángel Moratinos, Minister for Foreign Affairs, Spain