Festus Mogae addresses the EC

FESTUS MOGAE | Friday June 26, 2009 00:00

I must say I am pleased to be here to address a conference whose organisers recognise that 2009 is a crucial year in the battle against climate change. That battle will culminate in an international conference in Copenhagen in December where the world's governments are expected to conclude a global agreement for the period after 2012.

.It is pleasing to note that the theme for Green Week 2009 is 'Climate Change: Act and Adapt', and there will be seminars and workshops during which participants will look at what could be done globally to bring climate change under control. It is commendable that the organisers of Green Week 2009 decided to focus its theme around climate change issues.
.My address this afternoon will reflect the position and views of the Secretary-General on climate change, which has been described as the defining challenge of our generation.

The Secretary-General has called this year the Year of Climate Change.  As I have already stated, in December, the world's governments will meet in Copenhagen to seal the deal on a new climate change agreement.  Any such agreement must be ambitious, fair and effective in reducing emissions while assisting countries as they adapt to the inevitable effects of climate change. 
. The stakes could not be higher.  Scientists say we have less than a decade for emissions to peak if we are to stabilize global average temperatures within 2.0 Degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels. If we fail to curb the growth of greenhouse gas emissions, the consequences for humanity - and particularly for the world's poorest, most vulnerable people - could be catastrophic.
.You are all aware of the latest science, which shows that our climate is changing more rapidly than estimated even two years ago in the 2007 Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report.  Already,nine out of ten recorded disasters are now climate related. Hundreds of millions more people across the world could be affected if we do not act immediately. 
.The ramifications of climate change affect nearly every sphere of human activity, and will dwarf the food, fuel and economic crises of the past twelve months. It demands immediate and total attention from you and from your Heads of State and Government.
.At a time when the global economy is stumbling along, we need an engine of growth. 

At a time when unemployment in many nations is rising, we need new jobs. And at a time when poverty threatens to overtake hundreds of millions of people, especially in the least developed world, we need the promise of prosperity. 
.Today, this possibility is at our finger-tips in the form of a new economy, based on innovative, renewable, low- and zero-emission technologies. In December at Copenhagen, we must seize this opportunity and turn the climate challenge into a catalyst for redirecting growth in a more sustainable, low-emissions direction. Given the pace of global warming, we may not get another chance.  
. Last year's meeting on climate change in Poznan, Poland, was an important stepping stone.  Looking ahead, however, much work remains if we are to bridge the gap in cooperation between the developing and industrialized economies.  We know what is needed to seal a deal in Copenhagen.  We need commitments on mid-term mitigation targets from your governments and other industrialized countries. These targets will help instill confidence that industrialized countries are willing to take the lead in solving a problem for which they bear greatest historical responsibility.
.We also need nationally appropriate mitigation efforts from developing countries, beyond business as usual. They will need concrete support to achieve these efforts. We need clarity on financing for both mitigation and adaptation. This is crucial.  There also need to be an efficient institutional mechanism with an equitable, accountable governance structure that can deliver much-needed support to developing countries as they pursue mitigation efforts.  Finally, a framework for adaptation is also critical to help the majority of the world's countries adapt to the inevitable impacts of climate change. Similarly, there is a need for incentives for reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation.
.There are fresh signs of hope for what we can achieve in Copenhagen.  The Secretary-General is heartened to see the United States re-engaging positively in global climate discussions.  He is encouraged by the European Union's adoption late last year of an ambitious climate and energy package calling for emission reductions of 20 per cent by 2020, and more if others also engage.  And he is also inspired by the efforts undertaken by developing countries to redirect their economies on a lower carbon path, including those of Brazil, China, Egypt, India, Indonesia, Mexico, Republic of Korea and South Africa.
.Other developments could provide fresh dynamism to support the United Nations Framework Convention process.  The Secretary-General is encouraged that many key policy fora are integrating climate change into their deliberations to help ensure that Copenhagen is a success. For example, the Major Economies Forum on Energy and Climate (MEF) can make some timely and useful contributions, specifically on the issues of mitigation commitments, technology and finance.
.Yet even their contributions, crucial as they are, are not enough to ensure a full response as the majority of those most immediately affected by climate change have no voice in these gatherings. It is important that the work within these fora, including the G8 and the Major Economies process, bear in mind that solutions should be supportive of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) process.  Indeed, only the UNFCCC incorporates the principle of near universal representation, and hence retains a truly global legitimacy.
.Toward that end, the Secretary-General welcomes the G8's acknowledgement that the Major Economies process must make a positive contribution to the UNFCCC process, and that decisions are to be taken within the UNFCCC. He welcomes the reaffirmation, which was made at last year's Hokkaido Toyako Summit of the G-8's commitment to take strong leadership in combating climate change, and to the successful conclusion of a global agreement this year under the UNFCCC process.  G8 leaders have stressed the need for climate action in previous summits as well.
.But progress by the MEF and the G8 - as important as they may be - does not replace acceptance of specific agreements by all nations. The great 'silent majority' that is not seated at the table at the G8 or at the Major Economies Forum rightly insists, as they often do, for example at the UN General Assembly,  that the world takes their views into account if there is to be any hope of sealing a deal in Copenhagen.
.To further prospects for success in Copenhagen, the Secretary-General is organizing a high-level summit on climate change for Heads of State and Government at the UN Headquarters in New York on the 22nd of September.  Through active Head of State and Government involvement the Secretary-General believes that critical political impetus can be generated to help guide the final rounds of negotiations
under the UNFCCC's auspices.
.Nothing less than leadership at the highest level is needed from all countries, powerful or poor, to seal a deal in Copenhagen - a deal by and for governments and their people - a deal that can spark a new growth that can protect our planet for generations to come.  For it is governments who are responsible for meeting the climate challenge, including reaching agreement in Copenhagen.  And it is governments who will be held accountable by their citizens, by the world at large, and by future generations for their action - or inaction - in meeting this grave and imminent threat. 
. Let me say a few words about the Secretary -General's role on this issue, as it is unique.  Through the UNFCCC and the Secretary-General's own good offices, the UN provides the impartial platform that enables governments to communicate and negotiate.

It is also the Secretary-General's responsibility to ensure that the concerns of all the world's people are taken into consideration in the climate change discussions, and to act as a voice of conscience when they are not. 
.The Secretary-General also sees his role as one of holding governments accountable to the global citizenry for their promises. I can assure you he is following the climate negotiations very carefully, and is doing everything in his power to help facilitate discussions between countries and their leaders under the overall United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change process.