Bridging the climate gap
The Council sees an important role for the Nordic countries as drivers for change in the global climate negotiations. The rationale behind an approach to the less developed nations is the disproportionate impact of climate change on them.
"The Nordic countries should make the most of their collective strength to promote dialogue between industrialised and developing countries about the measures needed to achieve the goal of restricting climate change to 2 degrees. It is also important to discuss realistic expectations for the international agreement to be concluded at COP21 in Paris in 2015," says Steen Gade (SF, Denmark), climate observer on the Nordic Council Environment and Natural Resources Committee.
One of the main barriers to success in the climate negotiations is the gulf in expectations between industrial and developing nations on the question of funding initiatives in the developing world, e.g. the complete inability to agree how to finance The Global Green Climate Fund.
"The Nordic countries all have relatively good reputations when it comes to development aid. By working together we can multiply our influence many times over," Gade adds.
The Environment and Natural Resources Committee has issued a recommendation that the Council of Ministers should facilitate a meeting at the highest level between relevant Nordic ministers and specially chosen key players from a number of less developed countries.
"The Nordic countries have a long-standing record of working together on climate negotiations under the auspices of the Council of Ministers. The top priority should be that the meeting includes representatives of the least developed countries (LDCs), the Alliance of Small Island States (AOSIS) and the Climate Vulnerable Forum (CVF). Players such as the BASIC states (Brazil, South Africa, India and China), the EU and the USA should also be kept informed," he says.
"The latter groups may not be interested in an agreement at the moment but if we can get the poorest countries involved in a dialogue, then we can work on the BASIC states on two fronts."
The Nordic Council met in Copenhagen. 21–22 January. The next meeting is a theme session in Akureyri, Iceland, April 7–8. It will focus on a sustainable use of natural resources.
