DAILY NEWS Key issues for the PSE Group (2/2)
09/12/08. Climate policy is the Siamese twin of energy policy. It is difficult to resolve one problem without the other. Security of supply has become an priority issue on the foreign policy agenda. Rising energy prices are not only a geostrategic, but also a socio-political issue. This is because soaring electricity prices and heating costs quickly wipe out the budgets of low-income households. We need to ensure that the European Union is not dependent on oil, but has developed its own alternative sources of energy in order to be robust to energy speculation. In addition, we need to ensure that energy efficiency targets are set and are met, as these will both benefit our purses and our planet.
The threat of war would loom over increasingly scarce resources, as would that of mass migration and global destabilisation. Climate policy is also a policy for security – a rationale already discussed within the UN Security Council. Climate policy, however, is also about economic policy.
In developing countries we need to help these economies to transition towards clean economies by supporting them to mitigate and adapt so as to be in a position to tackle climate change but also prosper economically.
Tackling climate change will require a contribution from every citizen and every government. As Socialists we will fight for the most vulnerable parts of the population in order to help them overcome the miseries caused by climate change, as well as help them if they suffer from the unintended consequences of the climate change policies. J.W.
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