20140924_MR
Source: RTCC
URL: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qd8QhMry5AM
Date: 24/09/2014
Event: Mary Robinson: "I think it's extraordinarily important that we have this march"
Credit: RTCC
People:
- Gro Harlem Brundtland: UN Special Envoy, former Prime Minister of Norway
- Edward King: Editor, RTCC
- Mary Robinson: UN Special Envoy for Climate Change, former President of Ireland
Mary Robinson: I think it's extraordinarily important that we have this march, and I'm here with Gro Brundtland - with Gro Brundtland, my fellow Elder - and we're marching together with the People's March. Because it's time that people mobilised all round the world - because we're not on course for a safe world. We have to change course in order to stay below 2 degrees Celsius, and the summit will be extremely important, but we must keep up the momentum, right up to Paris.
Edward King: What - what sense do you have that now is different to previous UN efforts to achieve a climate change deal?
Mary Robinson: I think we've learnt the lessons of Copenhagen. The leaders went to Copenhagen, not knowing what the outcome would be. And there was a big march which I took part in. But this time, this climate summit is 15 months before the decision time, and there are a lot of steps to be taken, a lot of preparation. But we need mobilisation, so that leaders understand: this is not business as usual, with a little bit of green. This is transformative stuff, and they have to take the decisions that will bring us below 2 degrees.
Edward King: And as - as members of the Elders group, what's your message to people watching this march from home and all around the world, who are perhaps a little bit sceptical about whether countries can come together to achieve a climate change deal?
Gro Harlem Brundtland: Well, first of all, I think they need to know that the march is going on. Many countries and many businesses are taking action. So we say: action now, not tomorrow. As we are mobilising for the 2015 - you know, Paris meeting - meanwhile, every day action needs to be taken, because we are so far away from a safe trend. And meanwhile, many countries are making decisions - more and more countries now have a carbon tax. That was not the case in Copenhagen, five years ago. It is slowly happening, but too slowly, so all the good examples can be multiplied - many more can follow those who are already in the lead. And we can make it happen.
Edward King: And there will be heads of state turning up - maybe there will be some today, tomorrow and Tuesday. What's your message to some of them, who are turning up and saying "Listen, we have our other problems back at home - we have economic problems, we have social problems that we have to address before we can even think about looking at the whole energy matrix".
Gro Harlem Brundtland: Well, well, you see there's no way to confront social and economic problems without confronting the environmental and development aspect as well. There's no system that works, even to benefit the economy, if you think about the future. And most of these leaders gradually know that, more than they did, a few years ago.
Mary Robinson: And actually, you know, there were 94 heads of state in Copenhagen. There are more than 120 coming here on Tuesday. So it's a very, very big and important summit. But leaders need the pressure of grass roots when they have to make difficult decisions. And we have a very good report, the New Climate Economy report, which is telling every country "Look, it's in your interests to go towards renewables, to take the steps. It'll be the future, with jobs, with better health, with better equality, with all kinds of benefits, co-benefits of doing that."
As Gro said, a lot is happening, there'll be announcements at the summit that will astound people, you know, on a whole range of partnerships. So, I think that we need to keep up this momentum and we need to keep mobilising people to Lima, in Peru, this December, and on to Paris, in order to get the climate agreement that keeps us below 2 degrees Celsius.