Listen
Climate Change Minister in European talks
21/10/2009
Scotland's Climate Change minister Stewart Stevenson joined other European environment ministers in Luxembourg today for 'crucial talks' ahead of the United Nations climate change summit in Copenhagen in December.
Mr Stevenson is part of the UK delegation to the European Environment Council, which also includes Ed Miliband, Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change. The Council is looking to agree the position the EU will take at the negotiations in Copenhagen. Discussions will also be taking place on the changes needed for Europe to move to an eco-efficient economy and placing eco-efficiency at the heart of European economic recovery.
Mr Stevenson said:
"The Scottish Government has already shown itself to be a world leader on addressing climate change with the introduction of our Climate Change Act and our ambitious but achievable target of cutting emissions by 42 per cent by 2020.
"This is an opportunity to demonstrate that leadership to European environment ministers and to inform global discussions as we make the case for Scotland's strong position on climate change."
World leaders will gather at the UN climate conference in Copenhagen in December to negotiate a new climate treaty to replace the Kyoto Protocol which was adopted in Kyoto, Japan, in December 1997 and entered into force on 16 February 2005.
A number of requests by Scottish Ministers over a nine month period, including letters from the First Minister Alex Salmond, asking that a Scottish minister should be a member of the UK delegation to the UN climate change conference in Copenhagen in December, have been unsuccessful. Energy and Climate Change Secretary of State Ed Miliband recently said a Scottish Government official can attend as part of the UK delegation. He said Scottish ministers can go to Copenhagen with other organisations which had observer status.