Broad understanding reached on climate change

2007/09/26

THE largest gathering of leaders discussing climate change here concluded that there is an urgent need to tackle the root causes of the problem and reverse its effects through decisive action.
The goal is a global low-carbon economy that supports both mitigation and adaptation efforts, the leaders said in a statement issued at the end of the meeting.Leaders from over 150 countries came to a broad understanding that developing countries should be provided with additional resources for investment and to develop and implement the right mix of public policy instruments that will help them ensure sustainable growth. The one-day “High Level Event on Climate Change” was held yesterday - a day before the United Nations General Assembly.Literally feeling the heat and facing rising sea levels in their respective countries, the leaders admitted that industrialised nations needed to cut the emission of greenhouse gases while, at the same time, help subsidise similar efforts in developing countries.
The meeting was aimed at securing political commitments from the leaders on key issues pertaining to climate change while details and negotiations towards a new international climate agreement will start at the UN Framework Convention of Climate Change in Bali from Dec 3 to 14.Developing countries had called for increased funding through the “Adaptation Fund” and other mechanisms and had pushed for legally binding targets on emissions and other factors that contribute to climate change.“Developing countries understandably do not want to compromise their chances of achieving better standards of living for their people. “They also accept that a more sustainable energy system with better energy efficiency and planning can allow for less emission.“Further incentives are needed to ensure the active engagement of these countries in a future climate regime. In the negotiating process we should not lose the big picture, which is safeguarding our planet,” the statement said.Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Syed Hamid Albar, who spoke at the plenary session on financing for developing countries and also at the special meeting of tropical rainforest countries, said:“Malaysia also insisted that accessibility to funds to help countries overcome problems relating to climate change should not come with any conditions. “If the developed countries want developing countries to save the world then the industrialised nations must save the economies of the developing countries.”He said the ultimate goal was to draw up a treaty where the concerns of all countries were addressed, climate change was managed and serious consequences and calamities were avoided.Syed Hamid said he told the meeting that, while focusing on economic development, Malaysia would also give equal attention to the conservation of its natural resources, environmental protection and sustainable utilisation of forest resources for people dependant on it.He said the Bali meeting must formulate strategies on all fronts including adaptation, mitigation, clean technologies and resource mobilisation, to ensure future generations get to live and enjoy Mother Earth without facing disaster.