Is it an overall problem for which there is no “simple” answer?
The issue of climate change is complex and we believe not all countries in the world can agree on a solution. We believe there will be a long period of time over which solutions can be found and incorporated into individual states and become sustainable worldwide. But do we have this much time? Short term decision-making will not do justice to the problem. We believe the longer it takes to challenge climate change, the longer lasting effects we will have on the problems already created. There is no simple answer for the problem, as there are lots of factors with no simple solutions. Considering the current economic crisis, there has been a dramatic effect on combating climate change as it will be costly to each country, and many countries can’t afford to contribute. All world leaders would need to work on solutions (discussed in phase 3) to make an impact.
Who should solve/ agree to the problem?
We believe the E.U needs to be involved in solving the problem, and to set an example to the rest of the world, because climate change is a multi-national problem. The united nations need to be tackling the problem, world leaders need to be working together on sustainable solutions to have a greater impact. A leading European commissioner Connie Hedegaard states “International collaboration is absolutely indispensable to control climate change. The EU cannot solve climate change alone since we are responsible for a relatively small proportion of global emissions – just 10 or 11%. But by leading by example, as we are doing, we encourage our partners to take action too. And let’s be clear – many have done so, even if the collective effort is not yet sufficient” (2011). The soon to expire Kyoto protocol in which only 37 countries are involved, needs to be replaced with a more inclusive agreement with greater targets. The European region, encompassing 52 countries, bears a significant responsibility for its historical contributions to global warming pollution. This region is home to six of the top 20 annual global CO2 emitters, including Russia, which ranks third globally (using 2008 data.) Every country needs to be aware of the global issues and take responsibility of their emissions. We feel this is a reason to include the rest of the world. Unfortunately those who will be hit hardest and first by the impacts of a changing climate are likely to be the poor and vulnerable, especially those in the least developed countries. Developed countries must take a leadership role in providing financial and technical help for adaptation. Business and industries contributions to climate change have a very dramatic effect and also need to be considered, such as the oil and aviation industries.
How can democratically legitimate European solutions be found?
In our opinion there must be a more inclusive contract, which all EU members must sign and agree to. This would then replace any existing or previous EU treaties, which have not shown enough progress. We feel that before moving on to countries outside of the EU we must establish a working system to challenge climate change within the EU. We recognise that worldwide countries have already started working on solutions, but we feel this has had no major impact. This could be due to a lack of support, and countries not pulling their weight. A possible democratic solution would be to introduce new laws such as the very successful 5p per bag charge in Wales. This has resulted in a 90% decrease in plastic bag use. We also feel this type of treaty could stimulate European economies, through opening a market for renewable energy sources, tackling two birds with one stone.
How could direct participation be organised?
We feel Participation of other countries could be very valuable in achieving progress on tackling climate change. In the treaties we have discussed during this phase, we would propose numerous targets which would need to be met by any countries involved. We feel a possible solution to encouraging this direct participation is to involve incentives/ rewards for countries that meet their targets, e.g. money, resources, entry into the EU. We believe this would encourage less developed countries to work towards set targets, improving the current situation.