Public-Private Partnerships to Solve the Climate Crisis

Need of international climate agreement
"Upwards of 85 % of all new energy investments come from the private sector which needs stable frameworks for such long term planning, so we need a clear international climate agreement", said Yvo de Boer in Oslo on January 24.

A snow clad Norwegian parliament provided the setting for a hearing on Nordic leadership in reducing global warming, organized by the Nordic Council – the cooperation of the parliamentarians in the five Nordic countries – on January 24.

Main speaker was Yvo de Boer, UN Climate Chief during the ill-fated Copenhagen climate summit in 2009 and now global climate expert at the international consulting company KPMG. And he was not overly optimistic about the future.

Is green growth just a buzz?
"Nothing has essentially happened in the global climate negotiations since Rio 92 and there are still colossal divisions of interests between the parties despite hundreds of meetings and summits. The buzz word now is green growth, but does any world leaders really believe in greening the economy as a feasible way forward in the midst of an economic crisis", de Boer asked rhetorically in his address.

However, a comprehensive international treaty is still the only way forward, he argued. And largely for the very economic reasons that seem to be the main impediment.

 85 % of all new energy investments are private
"Upwards of 85 % of all new energy investments come from the private sector. And above all, businesses need stable frameworks for such long term planning as is involved here. Therefore we need a clear international climate agreement and we need to engage politicians and institutions like the Nordic Council much more actively", de Boer said.

Read more about Denmark's green solutions on stateofgreen.com.

"And we also need to make the case for why green investments are profitable, country by country. And here the Nordic countries can show the way both with the high emission reduction targets they have set for themselves at home and the know-how they have in creating green solutions globally", he added.

Read the full article on Norden.org.