Written question asked by Lord Browne of Madingley (Crossbench), in the House of Lords. It was answered by Lord Hunt of Kings Heath (Labour) on Thursday, 14 January 2010.

Climate Change: Copenhagen Conference

Question: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of whether further countries will sign the Copenhagen Accord; and whether they have taken steps to encourage other nations to sign up before the 31 January deadline for submission of emission-reduction plans.

Answer: On 11 January the UN Secretary-General held a meeting in New York to discuss climate change priorities following the Copenhagen conference. The majority of interventions at that meeting either welcomed the Copenhagen Accord or recognised it as a building block to a future legally binding treaty. The UK wholeheartedly associates itself with the Copenhagen Accord and will be writing to the UN to this effect. We believe this represents a real step change in global action to combat dangerous climate change. We will be encouraging others to show the same level of support and urging all parties, including the EU, to show maximum ambition in their submissions to the appendices to the accord by 31 January.

Secondary information