16 September 2008 -
Market turmoil, economic downturns and talk
of recession have historically spelt tough
times for the environment.
At such moments, safeguarding
the planet has often been seen as a luxury,
and as a burden on economic recovery and
development.
But the remarkable story
of the ozone layer, whose preservation we
celebrate today, shows such thinking for
what it is: mere myth.
Decisive multilateral
action on environmental threats and challenges
can bring wide-ranging health, social and
economic benefits.
The Montreal Protocol
on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer,
which underpins our efforts to combat depletion
of the earth's fragile protective shield,
also contributes to combating climate change,
since many of the chemicals controlled under
the treaty have also emerged as ones that
contribute to global warming.
By phasing out chlorofluorocarbons(CFCs)-once
common in products such as refrigerators-and
now deciding to accelerate a freeze and
phase-out of hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs),
the treaty has provided two benefits at
once.
I hope Governments will
look at such results and feel empowered
to act across a wide range of environmental
challenges, and not only in prosperous times.
Such action should include
exploring more fully the natural synergies
that can occur among our various multilateral
environmental agreements.
Next year in Copenhagen,
Governments will gather for a crucial meeting
on the UN Framework Convention on Climate
Change.
Our goal must be a decisive
new agreement that sets the world on track
to stabilize greenhouse gas concentrations
in the atmosphere, and that provides the
funding needed for vulnerable countries
to adapt to the impact of climate change.
Such an agreement would
not only represent progress on one of the
greatest challenges of our time, but is
also likely to help tackle urban air pollution,
deforestation, the loss of biodiversity
and other dangers.
After decades of chemical
attack, it may take another 50 years or
so for the ozone layer to recover fully.
As the Montreal Protocol
has taught us, when we degrade our environment
too far, nursing it back to health tends
to be a long journey, not a quick fix.
But the overarching
lesson of the Protocol is that by acting
on one challenge, we also act on many others.
Continued progress,
and the possibility of new breakthroughs
from Copenhagen and other fora, would also
make significant contributions to achieving
the Millennium Development Goals.
On this International
Day, let us pledge to seize more such multi-faceted
opportunities, and do our utmost to create
tomorrow's "green economy" today.
Hurricane Ike Batters
US Mainland
Hurricane Ike has left
a trail of destruction throughout the southern
United States, particularly in the city
of Galveston, Texas, where an estimated
one million people were evacuated to escape
the storm.
Before reaching the
US mainland the powerful storm inflicted
heavy damage in the Caribbean, causing death
and destruction in Haiti, Cuba, and Turks
and Caicos.
Ike killed more than 70
people in the Caribbean, according to the
BBC.
The hardest hit Caribbean
country has been Haiti, where hundreds are
reported dead following a succession of
tropical storms and hurricanes in recent
weeks, and more than 800,000 people have
been made homeless.
"The extreme weather
events we are witnessing underline the increasing
vulnerability of humankind to natural disasters-vulnerability
that scientists predict will rise if climate
change is left unchecked," said Achim
Steiner, UNEP Executive Director and UN
Under-Secretary General.
"The IPCC said
it is likely that we will see increases
in hurricane intensity during the 21st century-it
is not too late to act, first at the climate
convention meeting in Poznan later this
year and decisively in Copenhagen a year
later: we have some 500 days left."
Haiti
Haiti is the poorest
nation in the western hemisphere, and has
suffered significantly from the onslaught
of storms in 2008. An estimated 550 deaths
are attributed to the three-week storm period.
The UN has appealed
for more than $100 million in international
aid to assist Haiti.
Cuba
Four deaths in Cuba
are attributed to the Hurricane Ike. Over
800,000 people were evacuated as Ike approached.
Prior to Ike, Cuba was
hit by Hurricane Gustav which damaged about
100,000 homes on the east end of the island.
"Agriculture has
been seriously damaged. Ecosystems have
also been affected," said Handy Acosta
Cuellar, UNEP Tunza Youth Advisor for Latin
America and the Caribbean.
The UN estimates the
cost of damage between $3 billion - $4 billion.
US
Hurricane Gustav killed
26 people in the US.
New Orleans was evacuated
for fear of a repeat of Hurricane Katrina.
Turks & Caicos
Ike damaged 80% of the
houses on Grand Turk.
UN agencies move towards
climate neutrality
Around 100 staff from
more than 40 UN agencies, funds and programmes
are attending workshops in Geneva from 1
to 3 September, and in New York from 8 to
10 September, to accelerate efforts to move
their organizations towards climate neutrality.
The staff members comprise
a network of climate neutral focal points
of the United Nations Environment Management
Group (EMG), and include facility managers,
administration and finance officers, and
climate change technical experts across
the UN system.
The initiative follows a commitment made
by Secretary-General BAN Ki-moon and the
Chief Executive Board to lead by example
by moving the UN towards climate neutrality.
On the invitation of
the EMG Chair and UN Environment Programme
(UNEP) Executive Director Achim Steiner,
and with the support of the EMG secretariat
and UNEP’s Sustainable UN (SUN) facility,
these workshops provide training, tools
and guidelines, and offer experience sharing
among UN agencies on how to prepare greenhouse
gas emissions inventories and implement
emissions reduction strategies. Reference
material, case studies, lessons learned
and best practices will soon be housed on
a web site to share knowledge on climate
neutrality not just within the UN, but also
for the benefit of other organizations,
local authorities, businesses and individuals
New Zealand's parliament
introduces Emissions Trading
The Climate Change Response
(Emissions Trading) Act was passed in New
Zealand's Parliament on 10 September. The
legislation establishes the framework for
the Emissions Trading Scheme.
The scheme will be gradually
phased in over the next 5 years.
A cornerstone emissions
trading policy will help New Zealand reduce
greenhouse gas emissions and tackle climate
change, General Manager of the New Zealand
Emissions Trading Group Dave Brash says.
The policy covers all sectors, including
agriculture and forestry, and all greenhouse
gases making it a world leading policy.
"New Zealand has
a biologically based economy with 50% of
emissions coming from agriculture. This
legislation is important for the environment,
the economy and New Zealand's clean-green
image." It is designed to encourage
clean technology and create incentives for
climate-friendly behaviour and investments.
The New Zealand Emissions
Trading Scheme is linked to the world price
of carbon with only limited restrictions
on the import of AAUs (Assigned Amount Units
- Emission allowance allocated to a country
under the Kyoto Protocol) and CERs (Certified
Emission Reduction - Emission reduction
expected from a Clean Development Mechanism
(CDM) project). The scheme is expected to
be linked to other emissions trading schemes
over time.
New Zealand was one of the four founding
countries of the CN Net, which was launched
in February 2008.
