E3G

Climate change: EU-China and economic growth

By Quentin de Molliens

Cooperation between the EU and China on meeting the climate change challenge is increasingly being recognised as a means of securing major economic benefits for both parties.

This approach was promoted by E3G founding director John Ashton when he participated in the China Energy Law International Symposium in Beijing in his role as Special Representative for Climate Change of the UK Foreign Office. The event was organised by the China Sustainable Energy Program, and was held on the 27th April 2007.

John gave a speech to the symposium entitled ‘Climate change: a strategic priority for economic growth’.

He underlined the need for China and Europe to collaborate in order to achieve their goals in terms of energy, economic growth and climate change mitigation.

The full text of John’s speech follows here below.

Climate change: a strategic priority for economic growth

Shared Dilemma

Chairman Ma Kai spoke of the dilemma we all share between rising demand for energy, finite and unevenly distributed resources, and the environment. The dominant factor in this shared dilemma is now climate change. It will require a fundamental restructuring of our energy system – a new industrial revolution, as President Barroso of the European Commission has put it.

We all need to keep growing our economies, to create jobs and meet the needs of our people. This requires energy. Much of that will continue to come from fossil fuels. But our common dependence on fossil fuels destabilises the climate, threatening the conditions necessary for continued growth.

The dilemma is getting sharper. Last week the Australian government announced that if the drought in Southeast Australia continues for another six weeks - as seems likely – it will no longer be possible to provide irrigation in the Murray Darling basin, Australia’s agricultural heartland.