13-16 March 2008

The 4th Ministerial Meeting of G8 Gleneagles Dialogue on Climate Change, Clean Energy and Sustainable Development was held on 13-16 March, 2008, in Chiba, Japan

On 13-16 March 2008, Professor Maciej Nowicki, Minister of the Environment, participated to the 4th Ministerial Meeting of G8 Gleneagles Dialogue on Climate Change. The Meeting is officially referred to as “The 4th Ministerial Meeting of G8 Gleneagles Dialogue on Climate Change, Clean Energy and Sustainable Development”, and was set up as a result of an agreement at the Gleneagles G8 Summit held in the United Kingdom in 2005. At G20, issues such as global warming and climate change used to be discussed by environment and energy ministers of the world’s 20 major greenhouse gas emitting nations (including G8), as well as the representatives from the UNFCCC, relevant international organizations including World Bank, industries, non-governmental and non-profit organisations. The aim of this meeting included discussion of the issues concerning actions to be covered by the post-Kyoto (i.e. beyond 2012) agreement.

At the outset of the meeting, former British Prime Minister Tony Blair, who delivered a keynote speech, urged the international community to take "collective action" and set a new binding global CO2 reduction target. Mr. Tony Blair is now heading a new team of experts tasked with bridging the gaps in slow-moving negotiations to draft a successor to the Kyoto Protocol by the end of next year. "- Even on the mildest application of the precautionary principles, failure to act on climate change now would be deeply and unforgivably irresponsible" - he said.

On their four-day visit, the Polish Delegation took part in plenary sessions and discussions dedicated to the state-of-the-art, innovative environmental technology (the use of renewable energy sources and carbon capture and storage methods), energy efficiency, financing of investments, and the international framework for action beyond 2012 aimed at combating climate change. 

During session dedicated to financing issues, Professor Maciej Nowicki delivered address on the goals and activities which Poland has undertaken in the field of climate protection and sustainable development. In his address, Mr. M. Nowicki put special emphasis on the need of comprehensive support to be provided by the rich countries to the poorer ones with view of their efforts aimed at restraining climate change, since they need not only financial but also technical assistance. The Minister expressed also willingness to sharing good practices and experience gained during his 15-year management of the Eco-Fund Foundation. Thanks to the Polish debt for environmental investment swap (upon consent granted by some creditor-countries) Poland obtained many most recently developed solutions and implemented a lot of important environmentally sound projects, including those in the field of reduction of greenhouse gas emissions. 

Speaking about the 14th Conference of the Parties to Climate Convention - COP14 - serving as the 4th Meeting of the Parties to the Kyoto Protocol (COP14/MOP4) that will be held in this December, in Poznan, Poland, Professor Maciej Nowicki declared to organise a world exhibition there which will present innovative inventions and managerial solutions serving for climate protection purpose. 

Moreover, Professor M. Nowicki met Mr. Ichiro Kamoshita, Japanese Environmental Minister. Both Statesmen discussed the issues of cooperation between Japan and Poland, and also organization of the Climate Conference in Poznan. Minister Nowicki expressed belief that the Polish-Japanese cooperation will get tighten, especially under Memorandum of Understanding on the Green Investment Scheme (GIS)* projects that is to be signed between both countries.

Polish Environmental Minister gave interview to "Yomiuri Shimbun"– the major Japanese daily which revealed interest in the issues concerning, amongst others, organization of COP 14 in Poland and the strategic goals pertaining to the Conference. 

 

* The Green Investment Scheme (GIS) is a newly developed mechanism in the framework of International Emission Trade (IET). Under the GIS a Party to the Kyoto Protocol who expects that the development of its economy will not exhaust its Kyoto quota, can sell the excess of its assigned amount units (AAUs) to another Party for the purpose of preventing climate change.