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FM AMEMBASSY PORT OF SPAIN
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 0062
INFO RUEHCP/AMEMBASSY COPENHAGEN IMMEDIATE 0004
EC CARICOM COLLECTIVE
RUEHBY/AMEMBASSY CANBERRA 0001
RUEHFR/AMEMBASSY PARIS 0004
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UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 PORT OF SPAIN 000482 
 
SIPDIS 
STATE FOR SPECIAL ENVOY FOR CLIMATE CHANGE 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PREL KGHG KSUM TSPL TD
SUBJECT: COMMONWEALTH DECLARES CLIMATE CHANGE THE CHALLENGE OF OUR 
TIME 
 
REF: PORT OF SPAIN 460; SMART ATTACHMENT - PORT OF SPAIN CONSENSUS 
 
¶1. SUMMARY.  Commonwealth heads of government issued a declaration 
November 28 that called climate change the "challenge of our time." 
The declaration, ironed out by leaders participating in the 
Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) after 
presentations by special guests French President Sarkozy and Danish 
Prime Minister Rasmussen (reftel), pledges member states will 
support Rasmussen's efforts to achieve an "operationally binding 
agreement" at the upcoming COP-15 meetings in Copenhagen, with the 
goal of attaining a "full legally binding outcome no later than 
2010."   The declaration also expresses support for a $10 billion 
fund proposed by the British and French that would be tied to a 
Copenhagen agreement to help developing nations pay for climate 
change initiatives.    Diplomats from major Commonwealth missions 
have called the meeting a success both publicly and privately, and 
the GOTT is riding high on the mostly positive coverage of the 
CHOGM and the central role Prime Minister Manning is portrayed to 
have played in making climate change a dominant theme of the 
biennial event.  Manning will attend COP-15 from December 16-18 
with his environment minister and lead environmental treaty 
negotiator.  END SUMMARY. 
 
 
 
LEADERS ROLL UP THEIR SLEEVES ON CLIMATE CHANGE 
 
--------------------------------------------- -- 
 
 
 
¶2. Commonwealth leaders issued a climate change declaration in Port 
of Spain November 28 as part of the Commonwealth Heads of 
Government Meeting (CHGOM).  A special executive session began on 
November 27 and was attended by special guests UN Secretary General 
Ban Ki Moon, Danish Prime Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen, and French 
President Nicolas Sarkozy. 
 
 
 
¶3.  GOTT Prime Minister Patrick Manning's permanent secretary 
Sandra Marchak told the Charge on December 2 that after 
presentations by Sarkozy and Rasmussen, Commonwealth leaders 
debated the issue and a committee led by Australian Prime Minister 
Kevin Rudd worked late into the night drafting a proposal to reach 
a consensus agreement.  This followed failure of a meeting chaired 
by the TT Foreign Minister that lasted until 3 am the morning of 
November 27 to hammer out final language.  Leaders met again the 
morning of November 28, Marchak told us, to iron out the details 
and release the declaration.  Marchak stressed that Rudd and other 
leaders drafted and edited the declaration themselves, rather than 
tasking technical staff, and acknowledged that there remained some 
variances in opinion on approaches to climate change between 
Commonwealth members, but that consensus was reached. 
 
 
 
¶4.  The British deputy high commissioner for Trinidad and Tobago 
described the declaration as a "strong statement on climate 
change."  The Australian High Commissioner told the Charge December 
3 that Canberra was pleased with the statement, which he said was 
in line with his government's views looking toward Copenhagen.  His 
government also felt it received good press and a good start on 
hosting the 2011 CHOGM. 
 
 
 
THE PORT OF SPAIN CONSENSUS 
 
--------------------------- 
 
 
 
¶5.  The text of the Commonwealth Climate Change Declaration can be 
found at the CHOGM Website http://chogm2009.org.  The 14-point 
statement describes climate change as "the challenge of our time" 
and an "undisputed threat" to security, prosperity and economic and 
social development.  Commonwealth leaders pledged to support the 
efforts of the Danish prime minister to delver a "comprehensive, 
substantial and operationally binding agreement in Copenhagen 
leading towards a full legally binding outcome no later than 2010." 
 
PORT OF SP 00000482  002 OF 002 
 
 
¶6.  The declaration also expresses support for a $10 billion fund 
proposed by the British and French that would be tied to a 
Copenhagen agreement in order to help developing nations pay for 
climate change initiatives.  The Port of Spain declaration noted 
that Commonwealth members have a "range of views as to whether 
average global temperature increase should be constrained to below 
1.5 degrees or to no more than 2 degrees Celsius above 
pre-industrial levels," but agreed that any framework developed in 
Copenhagen must address the needs of developing countries and 
provide them with both financial and technical assistance. 
 
 
 
¶7.  While hailing the consensus reached by Commonwealth leaders, 
UNSYG Ban Ki Moon also warned that world leaders may seem united in 
purpose when addressing climate change, but they are "not united in 
action."  He called upon the leaders meeting in Port of Spain to 
"seal the deal" in Copenhagen in December, and said that "momentum 
for success in Copenhagen is growing." 
 
 
 
MANNING TAKES CENTER STAGE 
 
-------------------------- 
 
 
 
¶8. Local press largely hailed the CHOGM as a success, again 
thrusting Trinidad and Tobago onto the international stage as Prime 
Minister Manning released the climate change statement flanked by 
the UNSYG, the Commonwealth SYG, and the prime ministers of 
Australia and Denmark.  We are told Manning will travel to 
Copenhagen December 16-18, and that will be accompanied by Emily 
Dick-Forde, Minster of Planning Housing and Environment, and Kishan 
Kumar Singh, her Head of Multilateral Environmental Agreements. 
 
 
 
¶9.  Manning also agreed in principle to move forward on his 
government's own climate change policy, even as he insisted that 
the GOTT will go forward with an aluminum smelting project on 
Trinidad, saying that the plant will meet higher environmental and 
health standards than currently used by the international 
community.  One of the few publicized counter-demonstrations that 
took place during CHOGM challenged Sarkozy's statements in support 
of the smelter project, with activists claiming hypocrisy as the 
French President flew to Port of Spain from Brazil and to Paris on 
the same day November 27 just to deliver his climate change 
presentation. 
 
 
 
COMMENT:  GOTT PULLS IT OFF, AGAIN 
 
---------------------------------- 
 
 
 
¶10. The GOTT is basking in CHOGM's perceived success.  While the 
country's infrastructure is still lacking in many respects -- the 
site of the opening ceremony featuring Queen Elizabeth II was under 
construction nearly up until the event itself -- the GOTT seemed to 
have applied some lessons on security and logistics learned from 
the Summit of the Americas. 
KUSNITZ