TEHRAN - The Danish ambassador to Tehran, Tomas Anker Christensen, believes that private investments can be the main engine for developing and sharing green technology to fight global warming.

“They (countries) must ensure that private investments can be the main drivers in the development and transfer of green technology,” Ambassador Christensen, whose country is set to host the UN Climate Summit Conference, told the Tehran Times in an exclusive interview on Wednesday.
Following is the text of the interview:
Q: Prior to the climate conference, certain countries have pledged to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to a certain degree, which in most cases has fallen far short of what was expected. But will it be possible to encourage those countries to pledge more emission cuts during the conference?
A: The reduction targets pledged by some countries still fall short of meeting the 2 degrees target suggested by the prime minister of Denmark and the recommendations from scientists.
We urge countries to consider even stronger targets in 2020 and to make plans for feasible emissions towards 2050. The current level of pledges for 2020 will imply very aggressive reduction efforts from 2020 to 2050 in order to comply with the long-term targets on the table.
But right now we are actually seeing governments from all over the world, one by one, delivering before the climate conference. Recently, we saw concrete targets from South Korea and Brazil. Russia has just improved its bid. And there are finally encouraging signs from even the U.S. and China.
Q: What are the prospects for a Copenhagen deal?
A: The Copenhagen summit represents a rare window of opportunity for making a political agreement on how to tackle climate change, which should not be missed. It may take many years to rebuild the current momentum. If the whole world comes to Copenhagen and leaves without making the needed political agreement, it is a failure that is not just about climate. Then it’s the whole global system not being able to deliver results in one of the defining challenges of our time.
Close to 100 heads of state or government have confirmed their participation in the Copenhagen Summit. I believe we have a very strong basis for framing the new deal that will replace the Kyoto Protocol beyond 2012.
The cost of delaying action against climate change will only keep rising the longer we wait. The International Environment Agency estimates the extra costs for each year of inaction to roughly 500 billion dollars. That is why the world needs to act now.
We need an agreement which is ambitious in its objectives and practical and result oriented in its function. The deal has to address four main political questions at the same time:
(1) Binding medium and long-term greenhouse gas reduction goals for developed countries;
(2) The commitments to actions for developing countries to bring them on a greener and more environment-friendly path to prosperity;
(3) New and additional finance for adaptation and mitigation in developing countries;
(4) Transparency and measurement, reporting and verification.
Q: Has any mechanism been formulated to monitor reductions in greenhouse gas emissions by countries after the Copenhagen conference?
A: A robust system to measure, report, and verify actions and financial support must be designed to build trust among parties. Only by consistent monitoring can we stay on track towards 2050. This is therefore also a crucial component of the ongoing negotiations.
Q: What are the plans to persuade countries to share green technology and provide technical and financial assistance to developing countries to allow them to make their industries environmentally friendly?
A: All nations should adopt adequate national policies and legal frameworks to make green investments attractive. They must ensure that private investments can be the main drivers in the development and transfer of green technology.
In addition, technology cooperation across countries must also be enhanced. It is our ambition that an agreement includes a new mechanism that supports technology transfer to developing countries for both adaptation and mitigation.
Parties, except the least developed countries, should commit to double public sector domestic investment in research, development, and the deployment of low-carbon technologies and adaptations technologies by 2015.
The private sector is very important in the promotion and use of green technology. Many Danish companies are world leading in this area and would be strong partners for counterparts around the world.
Q: So far, the world has been too easy on certain countries, such as the United States, Russia, Australia, and Canada, which either refused to sign the Kyoto Protocol or never took it seriously. What is the guarantee that there will not be a repetition of this situation in regard to the Copenhagen summit commitments?
A: The deal to be framed in Copenhagen builds on many years of experience and negotiations since the adoption of the Kyoto Protocol. With the Bali Action Plan from 2007, the world as a whole decided that COP15 in Copenhagen is a turning point in the campaign to put the world on a more sustainable path. 192 countries signed up to this mandate. For the agreement to have any effect on the climate, we need this kind of political commitment.
Q: Can we expect international pressure or even punishment for countries, especially major emitters, which refuse to sign up to emissions reductions or do not fulfill their commitments?
A: It is no secret that there are marked differences between developed and developing countries, but it is time to move from controversy to compromise. In the last march towards reaching a political agreement in Copenhagen, we all have to appreciate the stride of others; we all must give and take; and we all have to come to Copenhagen with flexible mandates so that we can seal the deal the world needs.
Not every aspect of the challenge of climate change will be overcome once and for all in Copenhagen. But if everything works out, the conference could go down in history as the moment where the leaders of the world united and took a significant step towards stopping the dangerous and destructive climatic changes and enabled growth and prosperity for all. What we, in effect, have is a golden, green opportunity, which we shouldn't allow to turn to dust.
Q: Human beings are threatening life on Earth by polluting the environment and emitting greenhouse gasses into the atmosphere. In such a situation, it is essential to teach individuals to adopt green lifestyles and to encourage governments to go green. Have the conference organizers devised any plans to educate the masses about the consequences of climate change?
A: Public awareness is a key component in the transition away from a high-carbon economy. The transition is not merely a question of technology transfer. Local education programs must be in place to build the knowledge base needed. Indeed, the very holding of the Copenhagen summit has had a huge impact on raising public awareness about climate change all over the world.
Despite a 78% growth of the GDP, energy consumption per capita has remained constant in Denmark during the last 30 years. Public awareness has been a key factor in this development. Public support and thirty years of focused energy policy have catapulted Denmark ahead of most other nations in the use of renewable energy technology. The experience from Denmark illustrates how energy savings, optimized manufacturing, and investments in green technology are good value for money.
Q: As the population on the Earth rises, there is more pressure on resources and an increase in greenhouse gas emissions. Is there any plan to encourage countries with high birth rates to make efforts to control the rise in their populations?
A: Climate change is much more than an issue of carbon emissions. It is also an issue of population dynamics. In 2050, we will be nine billion people on planet Earth and eight billion of these will live in what we today refer to as developing countries. Population growth in itself puts pressure on food security, clean water, health, and education. Climate change adds to this pressure.
In my view, the key is to accelerate access to modern contraception and family planning and to empower women. Denmark has for many years been a strong advocate for a woman’s right to decide how many children she wants and when she wants them. Improvement of women’s right to choose will be crucial in stabilizing population growth, sustaining development, and reducing poverty.