The St. James's Palace Memorandum May 2009
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
The St James’s Palace Nobel Laureate Symposium was convened by the University of Cambridge Programme for Sustainability Leadership (CPSL) The St. James’s Palace Memorandum in association with the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK) under the Patronage of The Prince of Wales. It was hosted at St James’s Palace, the Royal Society and the Science Museum. May 2009 CPSL and PIK are grateful for the support of the Symposium hosts as well as its sponsors: Deloitte, Maersk Oil, The Prince’s Rainforests Project, Vattenfall and the Volkswagen Foundation; and for in-kind contributions from the InterContinental Hotel Group and Virgin Airways. The St James’s Palace Symposium built on the foundation of a first Nobel Laureate Symposium on Global Sustainability hosted by Chancellor Merkel in Potsdam, Germany, in October 2007. St James’s Palace Nobel Laureate Symposium Advisory Group Polly Courtice LVO, Prof Sir Richard Friend, Jonathon Porritt CBE, Prof Chris Rapley CBE, Lord Rees of Ludlow PRS OM, Prof Hans Joachim Schellnhuber CBE, Mike Peirce (Symposium Director) www.cpsl.cam.ac.uk www.pik-potsdam.de Printed onto Revive 100 uncoated paper. 100% recycled fibre. Printed using alcohol-free technology and vegetable-based inks. Designed and produced by Advantage Design Consultants +44 (0)20 7613 3933 | www.advantagelondon.com St. James’s Palace Nobel Laureate Symposium The Fierce Urgency of Now London 26-28 May 2009 Somehow, global decision- makers need to be persuaded that strong, committed and coordinated action is needed now, not in 10 years’ time or even in 5, otherwise we will have little left on which to base our economies. HRH The Prince of Wales The St James’s Palace Nobel Laureate If one distinctive feature of the meeting was its inter- systems. We must recognise the fierce urgency of now.” Symposium was a landmark event in a disciplinarity and international reach, a second was the The final statement, borrowed from Martin Luther King’s landmark year. Held in May 2009, six months analytical rigour of the Laureates. As Lord Rees of Ludlow, Brooklyn Junction speech, is a clarion call to action from in advance of the UNFCCC Convention of President of the Royal Society, stated in his introductory some of the world’s greatest thinkers. the Parties in Copenhagen, twenty Nobel address: “Nobel-class scientists… are the most discerning Laureates joined an expert group of scientists, and critical audience one could imagine. Therefore Since the event, many other Nobel Laureates have policy-makers, political scientists, economists, current ideas on climate change will be ‘battle tested’ by supported this initiative, including three recent winners business leaders, investors and activists. some of the sharpest minds in other fields.” of the Nobel Peace Prize: Dr Mohamed ElBaradei, Mikhail Prof. Hans Joachim Schellnhuber, founder of the Gorbachev, and His Holiness the Dalai Lama, and three The three-day Symposium focused on the climate The strength of the group attending the Symposium series has noted: “After the cold war, mutually winners of the Nobel Prize in Literature: John Coetzee, crisis and its implications, with particular attention Symposium was recognised by the Rt Hon Ed assured disarmament was the logic of good global Nadine Gordimer and Doris Lessing. paid to the economic and development challenges Miliband MP, UK Secretary of State for Energy and governance. Facing the global climate challenge, mutually facing the world. The meeting was convened to Climate Change, who with the Chairman of the assured emissions reductions should become the logic.” For more information on the Symposium including bring to bear on the climate debate the expertise Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, individual presentations and a film of the event, of some of the finest minds of our time. As the Dr Rajendra Pachauri, gave the closing speeches: The Symposium’s programme focused on three key please visit: www.nobelcause.org Patron of the Symposium, HRH The Prince of Wales, “One of the things that makes this gathering challenges facing the world today: rainforest protection stated at its opening: “Nobel Laureates, of course, so important is the sense of a conversation and and restoration, low-carbon energy infrastructure and are chosen for having ‘conferred the greatest benefit a challenge shared across borders and across the nature of a global deal on climate change. These on mankind’. There could surely be no greater disciplines, starting in Potsdam, refreshed in London three themes formed the basis of the St James’s Palace benefit to mankind at this moment in history than and taken home at the end of this conference back Memorandum that was signed on the final day of the to lead the way towards a framework for addressing to each of your countries around the world.” Symposium (see overleaf). the inter-related economic, environmental, social, ethical and climate challenges that face our In its headline statement, the St James’s Palace societies.” Memorandum calls “for a global deal on climate change that matches the scale and urgency of the human, Nobel Laureates participating in the Symposium ecological and economic crises facing the world today. spanned award-winners in Chemistry, Economics, It urges governments at all levels, as well as the scientific Literature, Peace and Physics. Several of the community, to join with business and civil society to seize Laureates, including US Secretary of Energy Steven hold of this historic opportunity to transform our carbon- Chu, contributed a profound understanding of the intensive economies into sustainable and equitable technology and policy context of global warming; others brought to the discussion the specialist knowledge of their own field and the quality of Earth used to be infinite for humans, and has become finite, the scientific method behind their outstanding achievements. and the waste we are producing is overburdening the earth. Professor Yuan Tseh Lee, Nobel Prize in Chemistry 1986 The St. James’s Palace Memorandum Action for a Low Carbon and Equitable Future London 26-28 May 2009 The St James’s Palace Memorandum calls for a global deal on climate 2) Delivering a low carbon energy An emergency package is needed now to change that matches the scale and urgency of the human, ecological and infrastructure provide substantial funding to tropical forest Decarbonising our society requires an increase nations to help them halt deforestation and economic crises facing the world today. It urges governments at all levels, in energy conservation and efficiency and a embark on alternative economic development as well as the scientific community, to join with business and civil society revolution in our energy infrastructure now. paths. The package should include: to seize hold of this historic opportunity to transform our carbon-intensive The required technological innovations will • Accelerating a long-term UNFCCC agreement economies into sustainable and equitable systems. We must recognize the not be achieved without an unprecedented on halting deforestation and on forest partnership between government and restoration, including innovative financing fierce urgency of now. business. mechanisms from public and private sources. • Building capacity and implementing Climate risk avoidance, energy security, 1) Delivering an effective and just global Actions in the following areas are needed: mechanisms for verification and national sustainable land use, moderate population agreement on climate change • Clear policy frameworks aimed at fostering governance structures that can support growth and equitable economic development Firm political leadership is crucial now. innovation and the demonstration, scale- and reward the maintenance of rainforest constitute a key set of interacting challenges for Leadership is primarily required from up and roll-out of low-carbon technologies. regions. Developing countries need to take humankind in the 21st century. The evidence developed countries, acknowledging their This must include globally coordinated independent responsibility for tropical forest is increasingly compelling for the range and historical responsibility as well as their financial investment frameworks linked to economic protection, conservation and restoration. scale of climate impacts that must be avoided, and technological capacity. However, all recovery, with the emphasis on ‘green growth’. such as drought, sea level rise and flooding countries will need to implement low carbon • A significant increase of investment The Contribution of Science leading to mass migration and conflict. The development strategies. In this spirit of in developed countries for research, The solutions to the extraordinary robust scientific process by which this evidence trust, every country must act on the firm development and deployment. environmental, economic and human has been gathered should be used as a clear assumption that all others will also act. • Technology sharing and financial support, crises of this century will not be found in mandate to accelerate the actions that need to through mechanisms such as globally the political arena alone. Stimulated by the be taken. Political leaders cannot possibly ask for A long-term commitment under the United supported feed-in tariffs for renewable manifesto of Bertrand Russell and Albert a more robust, evidence-based call for action. Nation Framework Convention on Climate energy, to help developing countries leapfrog Einstein, the first Pugwash gathering in