The United Nations secretary general, Ban Ki Moon, yesterday kicked off the UN High Level Event on Climate Change by reminding those present that the issue first surfaced on the world’s political agenda through a proposal made by Malta.
Speaking to delegates at the UN’s headquarters in New York, Mr Ban said: “Two decades ago, here in this Hall, climate change first surfaced on the world’s political agenda. The subject, proposed by the island nation of Malta, remains as evocative today as it did then – ‘The protection of global climate for present and future generations of mankind’.”
Mr Ban was referring to the Malta proposal made by then Prime Minister Eddie Fenech Adami during the UN tenure of secretary general Javier Perez De Cuellar.
The secretary general said yesterday: “Much has happened since those early days. But the fundamental challenge remains unchanged, and has become even more pressing. Indeed, I am convinced that climate change, and what we do about it, will define us, our era, and ultimately the global legacy we leave for future generations.”
He continued: “Today, the time for doubt has passed. The United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change has unequivocally affirmed the warming of our climate system, and linked it directly to human activity. The scientists have very clearly outlined the severity of the problem.”
He said the message is simple:
• we know enough to act;
• if we do not act now the impact of climate change will be devastating;
• and we have affordable measures and technologies to begin addressing the problem right now.
“What we do not have is time,” he said. Mr Ban continued: “National action must be at the centre of our response to climate change – with industrialised countries taking the lead. Fifteen years have passed since the Framework Convention on Climate Change was finalised in Rio. It has been ten years since the Kyoto Protocol was adopted. Yet most industrialised country emissions are still rising. And their per capita emissions remain unacceptably high. At the same time, support for adaptation by poor countries has fallen well short of what is required.”
He said the meeting was an opportunity to infuse this process with political momentum. “The crucial negotiations under the UN Framework Convention in Bali this December are almost upon us. We need to set the stage for a comprehensive agreement that tackles climate change on all fronts. And we must reach this agreement as soon as possible to ensure a global policy is in place by 2012. Our goal must be nothing short of a real breakthrough in Bali,” he said.