Ian Pearson MP
Minister of State (Climate Change and the Environment)
DEFRA
3/B8 Ashdown House
123 Victoria St
London
SW1E 6DE

Simultaneous Policy for Contraction and Convergence (SP/C&C)

There has been correspondence running with Government since March 2005 regarding the proposal that the UK should use Simultaneous Policy to obtain a serious international agreement on Climate Change, based on Contraction and Convergence. Simultaneous Policy entails a pledge to join a course of action once an agreed number of other parties have laid down a similar pledge. It overcomes the problem of competitive disadvantage implicit in initiating any new measure.

In the course of the correspondence, officials have explained that international discussions on climate change are at a very early stage, that it is too soon to be putting forward specific schemes for consideration, and that there is a need to try to find common features of all proffered plans, ready to form around something that may emerge with the widest support, and so forth. That is very wise and sensible, but at the same time it has been pointed out that in chemistry, crystallization occurs more easily in a saturated solution if there is a tiny particle to start the process off, and that the SP/C&C process could fill that role in international negotiations.
However, it has been made clear that the HMG is not minded to initiate an SP/C&C process.
This raises the following question: At what stage would HMG be prepared to join a SP/C&C process if it were to be initiated by some other country? Would it lay down its pledge with the first, second, third, or last quarter of negotiating parties?

Thank you for answering this question.

Yours sincerely

Richard Lawson