Positions for the Group of Twenty

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland

Positions for the Group of Twenty

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland continues to remain in support of all aspects of the Paris Climate Agreement. Understanding that to combat climate change, the UK urges all Member States to unite to make this goal a reality. The United Kingdom is pleased to see a global increase in spending regarding new investments in clean energy. Although Member States have taken this crisis very seriously, it needs to be noted that in 2016, climates around the world have reached record high temperatures.[1] While increasing climate change is of very serious concern, carbon dioxide levels have also reached a new high in 2016.[2] The United Kingdom understands that while switching over to a green economy is more expensive than the traditional form of industrialization, Member States must acknowledge the severe consequences of the destructive nature of current industrialization methods used around the world. Future generations will have to address the problems created by these harmful techniques if not changed now.

The United Kingdom has created multiple programs and has passed legislation to push for climate change within the state. The Climate Change Act of 2008 is the basis for the government’s approach to tackling and responding to climate change.[3] The Climate Change Act has set goals to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 2050, thus pushing for a longer goal than the Paris Climate Agreement. The Committee on Climate Change (CCC) was created under the Climate Change Act to advise the United Kingdom’s Government and Devolved Administrations on emissions targets and report to Parliament on progress made in reducing greenhouse gas emissions and preparing for climate change.[4] This committee creates and sense of accountability within the state, thus moving the United Kingdom in the right direction toward investing in green energy alternatives. A small aspect of this committee is to help industrial sectors with high carbon emissions receive compensation towards the costs of low carbon policies, thus moving the factories in a green direction. The Climate Change also enacted a country-wide Climate Change Risk Assessment (CCRA) every five years, with regards to the United Kingdom, in which 2017 was the most recent assessment.[5] The overall aim of the CCRA Evidence Report is to assess the urgency of further actions to handle both current and future dangers that have risen from climate change within the state.

The G-20 committee plays a vital role in acknowledging and advocating for climate change regarding more green energy sources. The members of G-20 need to act as a guiding voice to each of our governments to promote legislation and programs to help meet our Paris Agreement goals. As the top 20 most advanced societies, it is necessary that the G-20 members set an example to those that are still moving toward a more developed state. Once the G-20 Member States can financially support themselves in a green economy, that will pave a path for developing states to efficiently adapt into green energy alternatives. The United Kingdom suggests that in order to further integrate the Paris goals within growth strategies, a partner program should be formed so Member States that are currently trying to develop do so only using green energy instead of first using harmful emissions then switching to a green economy. To deliberately promote new economic and financial objectives, Member States should strive to maintain a high level of transparency to its citizens as well as other Member States. The United Kingdom believes that through these actions, it will set up a framework for Post-Paris Agreement goals.

II. The Digital Economy and Cyber Security

Cyber security and the digital economy have grown in importance over the past couple decades, and as time goes on, it will become a more prominent part of everyday life. A prominent digital economy in every Member State would allow each nation to thrive immensely, but there are many areas in which a digital economy is not as developed as it needs to be in order to provide a sustainable amount of income into the state. By improving the digital economy, there also comes an expansion of global interdependence and cooperation. As these digital economies grow, there needs to be a security system in place so as to protect assets and sensitive information. Without a strong security plan, assessment, or program, it is likely that damage could be done within the state, thus causing drastic hardship. A cyber security breech could result in detrimental damage to the economy and potentially to the government itself. To put the extent of cyber security crimes in perspective, cyber-crime damage costs are projected to hit $6 trillion annually by 2021.[6] This number will continue to grow as Member States encourage the use of a digital economy within their state and as the world aspires to reach a higher level of digital cooperation.

The United Kingdom has been hit with a series ofcyber-attacks; the National Security Strategy in 2015 said that the threat from cyber-attacks, either from organizedor foreign intelligence agencies was one of the "most significant risks to UK interests".[7]In order to enhance cyber security, the United Kingdom created the National Cyber Security Centre.[8] The program was created in October of 2016 by the Government Communications Headquarters with the goal of protecting the United Kingdom’s services from cyber-attacks, managing major disturbances, and improving the security of the Internet. These improvements provide advice to citizens, businesses, and organizations about how to better handle cyber security issues and threats. This program encourages the use of online business and cooperation by ensuring that the best possible security and advice are being given to protect citizens. The United Kingdom has also formulated the National Cyber Security Strategy 2016-2021, a strategy book to combat cyber security in the near future. The 80-page document includes threats and vulnerabilities that currently face the state, as well as the government’s response and plans to strengthen technology within these next few years. By specifying the problem areas, the United Kingdom can better understand what needs to be done to obtain a stronger digital economy.

Once the United Kingdom was consistently hit with cyber-attacks, there was a realization that a specific program was needed to address the issues in the digital sphere. If not already established, the United Kingdom stresses the need for each Member State to form a committee in which their sole objective is to protect the digital economy within their nation. This committee should be developed under the Member State’s government so that the programs would not be created in order to gain profit. The United Kingdom uses incentives, such as tax relief, to promote investment within businesses of all sizes.[9] These incentives, as well as increased cyber security efforts, have improved investments in the UK. Another way to improve investment in the digital economy is by pulling in other sectors, like education. As technology continues to influence education, such as the lack of books in classrooms, the digital economy will thrive. By encouraging the education system to be more technology based, the digital economy within the nation will prosper because of the new classification of people that are invested in itssuccess.

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