Special edition  » The climate for change

Danish Permanent Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, Claus Grube in an exclusive interview with VIR, says an agreement at the 15th Conference of Parties (COP15) at the Bella Centre in Copenhagen, is still possible.

The binding agreement for the post-Kyoto period is expected to be agreed and what is the Danish government doing towards the event’s possible outcomes?

Denmark is working closely with the United Nations to reach an ambitious binding agreement in Copenhagen. We are basing ourselves on the mandate that is given to the Danish prime minister together with the UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon at the Climate Summit in New York in September. We are working closely with the UN and the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCC) to prepare the ground for such an agreement. In addition, we are also in close contact with all major players on climate change on this respect.

From our side, it’s likely that it is not possible to have a binding treaty made in Copenhagen but we do look forward to have an ambitious binding agreement that can be implemented immediately. With such negotiations between many countries of different conditions, literatures, the structure will be complex. There is no guarantee to reach such an agreement, but we are assured that Denmark will do its utmost to make the agreement possible.

Not only paying attention to bilateral contacts with the main players, but we also encourage everybody to participate in maintaining this political momentum. The European Union has come out with a statement affirming its willingness to finance climate change measures. We also need additional inputs from other countries like China, India and Brazil. We hope that political momentum will help us to create a basis for an agreement in Copenhagen. You know that not only Denmark, but also every country in the world wants the meeting in Copenhagen to be successful.

I’m very happy to learn that your prime minister and National Resources and Environment minister will attend the meeting in Copenhagen. We acknowledge the constructive participation of Vietnam’s delegation at COP15, especially in terms of the National Target Programme to Respond to Climate Change, which we think will be a very good start for future actions.

Is it possible that industrialised countries will agree on a deal to fund developing countries in this global challenge?

We think it is possible that participating countries can come to a concrete agreement where not only industrialised countries come up with their CO2 emission reduction plans, but also developing countries with a clear action plan against climate change.

In such a manner, I think it is possible to have a commitment to finance developing countries in their adaptation and mitigation to the changing climate. Our objective at COP15 is to have a concrete commitment made by all industrialised countries in this critical issue.

As regards to developed nations, what they should do is to come up a with clear CO2 emission reduction plan and specific roadmap for achieving their targets by 2020 and 2050. They need to make commitments not only on reduction but also on financing for climate change activities.

Of course, such financing can be made in many forms such as public support, taxes, sea transport and others. And we also hope that developing countries will do what they can to contribute to CO2 emission reduction and the fight against climate change globally.

Denmark is in a unique position to help the world mitigate and adapt to climate change, as well as other environmental challenges. What advice is there for Vietnam?

Our message is very clear and consistent that everyone in this field should be aware of the importance of this global deal among 192 nations. If we don’t do it now, it will be very difficult to do it in the future. Vietnam is very proactive in this global fight and Denmark is with your nation, not only in terms of financing but with a strong commitment towards its sustainable development.