IMPORTANT figures in Jamaica’s delegation to the crucial United Nations climate change summit in Denmark in December are doubtful that leaders of developed countries will sign off on measures to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, which fuel global warming.

Comments from head of Jamaica’s delegation, Deputy Prime Minister Dr Kenneth Baugh, and former Ambassador of Jamaica to the United Nations, Anthony wewe, suggest that such leaders will not have the political will to agree on strong measures to prevent global warming, which is forcing a change in the world’s climate that threatens island states such as those of the Caribbean.

The delegation members attended a workshop, put on by the United Nations Development Programme, at the Hilton Kingston Hotel last Thursday “to prepare to seal the deal in Copenhagen”.

Expressing “scepticism about Copenhagen”, Hill said his view was formed based on his participation in the Global Humanitarian Forum (GHF) in Geneva over the past two years. The GHF was founded in 2007 by former UN secretary-general Kofi Annan and Swiss Foreign Minister Micheline Calmy-Rey as an independent and impartial international platform for addressing humanitarian concerns.

“They (the GHF) are not optimistic that the world’s leaders have recognised the enormity (of the problem of global warming). The fact that the science suggests a greater sense of urgency than is being displayed (by world leaders),” Hill said.

He noted that players in developed countries “all talk in a way that suggests somehow things will work out”.

Addressing the meeting, Baugh, also the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, said “current reports are that negotiations are at a critical stage, and it may not be possible to reach a comprehensive agreement on commitments beyond the Kyoto Protocol’s first commitment period”.

Stating that “all countries will need the political will, clear thinking and foresight to reach an agreement”, Baugh hoped that a meeting in Barcelona next month “will see more willingness on the part of the major players to look at the larger picture rather than focus solely on narrow political and national self-interest”.

The Copenhagen meeting, officially the 15th meeting of the Conference of Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, will take place from December 7 to 18.

Baugh emphasised Jamaica’s longstanding and active participation in efforts to address climate change, and said the country has been consistent in calling for emissions reductions. He noted that through the Caribbean Community and the 42-member Alliance of Small Island States, the island had developed a unified position and speaks with a single voice with similar countries on the matter.

Baugh added that Jamaica “remains committed to active participation in the process to arrive at an effective agreement to replace the Kyoto Protocol”.

The proposed Copenhagen agreement calls for plans on mitigation and adaptation against climate change, and the transfer of technology, as well as the provision of financial resources to undertake mitigation and adaptation activities.

Hill called for a national action programme on climate change involving all actors – the public and private sectors, as well as non-governmental organisations.

He said many international organisations were ready to co-operate with Jamaica in funding renewable energy programmes if serious and credible action plans were put forward. He also called on Jamaica to move towards a low-carbon economy and to take advantage of the many business and training opportunities in this area.