Your Excellency Mr. Barroso, Your Excellency Mr. Kofi Annan, Your Excellency Mr. Louis Michel, Distinguished Delegates, Ladies and Gentlemen:
I would like to begin by expressing my sincere thanks to you, Mr. Socrates and Mr. Barosso, for inviting me to address this august assembly today. I am honoured to be with you in Lisbon, and to share with you my thoughts and experiences on an issue that has remained at the top of my priority list over the past twenty years.
Before I proceed further, I would like to thank the government of Portugal for the warm welcome and gracious hospitality extended to me and my wife since our arrival in this beautiful city of Lisbon yesterday. The Maldives and Portugal enjoy cordial relations. I am confident that bilateral ties between the two countries will be further strengthened in the years to come.
Excellencies:
I am very pleased that, through this forum, the EU seeks to discuss with its developing country partners, the building of a Global Climate Change Alliance (GCCA). This Alliance will symbolize the recognition of the fact that Least Developed Countries and Small Island Developing States will be hit “earliest and hardest” by climate change and resultant sea-level rise.
Indeed, all the chosen themes for the Alliance have a direct bearing on countries such as the Maldives. The Alliance will be a platform for dialogue on matters related to climate change between the European Union, LDCs and SIDS. It will also provide much-needed technical and financial support for adaptation and mitigation measures, and promote the reduction of the risks posed by disasters. The announcement that the European Commission has already earmarked Euro 50 million to the GCCA from 2008-2010 is a testimony to its commitment towards addressing global climate change.
The EU’s political leadership was fundamental in securing agreement on the Framework Convention on Climate Change and the subsequent Kyoto Protocol. Today, the EU is pioneering different policy instruments such as the Emissions Trading System and the deployment of renewable energy, and it is also at the forefront in the provision of overseas development aid.
I, therefore, highly commend the EU for the leadership role that it has played over the years in addressing the issue of climate change, and for the high priority that it attaches to building capacity in developing countries to tackle climate change. I note, in particular, the decision, in March 2007, by EU heads of state and government, to put forward proposals for a post-2012 climate change agreement.
As a country greatly imperilled by the rising seas, the Maldives is deeply concerned over the present lack of consensus on a comprehensive framework for post-Kyoto cuts in greenhouse gas emissions.
Ultimately we must recognize that although there have been some small successes, much of the past twenty years has been a series of failed promises and missed opportunities. This issue is too important, and the time remaining for action too short. There can be no more failed promises!
Excellencies:
As a small island state, we are immediately vulnerable to even the smallest change in the global climate. Earlier this year, the Maldives experienced tidal surges on nearly 80 islands. Never in our documented history has so many islands been simultaneously flooded over, and to such an extent. These surges were a grim reminder of the devastating tsunami of 2004 and a clear warning of future disasters.
Moreover, our beaches are now eroding at a rate previously never witnessed. Recent surveys show that 119 of our 193 inhabited islands are suffering from the problems of beach erosion.
Climate change is undoubtedly the defining issue of our time, and the fundamental challenge facing mankind during the 21st century. For the Maldives, the impacts of global warming pose the most immediate and far-reaching danger to its natural ecosystems.
Even today, rising ocean temperatures threaten our prized coral reefs. These reefs constitute a natural defence system that protects our beautiful islands from the fury of the seas. These beautiful reefs are also the mainstay of the tourism and fisheries industries, which are at the very heart of our economic development.
Other concerns include the increasing frequency and intensity of stormy weather, and the saline intrusion of our freshwater lenses.
As we look to the far horizon, we fear that rising sea-levels threaten the very survival of our nation. Every report released by the IPCC clearly indicates that our fate hinges on an immediate transformation of the prevalent global mindset on tackling climate change. All around us are disturbing signs that, slowly but surely, the seas are encroaching and engulfing our tiny archipelago. This is why the Maldives has long championed the cause of fighting climate change.
To understand the vulnerability of our archipelago, you must know something of our geography. There are approximately twelve hundred islands in the Maldives. I say “approximately” as the exact number varies according to the seasons and tides. These islands are geographically arranged in twenty-six natural groups called "atolls". Almost all our islands are only three to six feet above mean sea-level, making the Maldives one of the lowest-lying countries in the world.
Our vulnerability to natural disasters has been shown in no uncertain terms in recent times. The 2004 tsunami took 108 innocent lives and left a trail of debris on many of our tiny islands. 62% of our GDP was washed away in those horrific few minutes. Three years on, we have rebuilt most of the damaged infrastructure, and our economic prosperity is growing once more, with the help of a quicker-than-expected rebound in tourism.
However, the memories of that fateful day are still vividly etched in our minds. Many of our people, especially the children who saw the horrors of the disaster, now fear that the sea that for many centuries had been our friend has now become our foe.
Excellencies:
The findings of the Stern Review provide clear evidence that the price of inaction is far greater than the cost of mitigation and adaptation. More than ever before, former UN Secretary General Kofi Annan’s statement that climate change sceptics are “out of step, out of arguments and just about out of time” holds true today.
Exactly twenty years ago, I brought the testimony of ordinary people threatened by climate change before world leaders for the very first time. In my address to the UN General Assembly in 1987, I spoke of how global warming, if left unchecked, would lead to the death of the Maldives and many countries like us.
The UN has warned that almost 50 million people could be environmental refugees by the end of this decade. We, in the Maldives, may not become environmental refugees in the next few years, but unless climate change is addressed quickly and effectively, we fear that our fate could be similar in a few decades from now.
My country was the very first signatory of the Kyoto Protocol. We now intend to be a vocal advocate for a comprehensive framework to replace the Kyoto strategy. Any international framework must be coherent, and it must contain the major polluters, whether it is industrialized, newly developed or developing countries. Such a framework must also have at its core binding attainable targets. For the Maldives, any increase in temperature that results in rising sea-levels would spell disaster for us. Our hope and aspiration is to develop a diversified portfolio of policies to deal with global warming.
The Maldives has identified practical strategies designed to reduce our exposure to the impacts of climate change. I call on the international community to extend their strong support towards the rapid implementation and financing of the plans and projects identified in our National Adaptation Plan (NAPA).
There must be sufficient adaptation funding available to small island countries, and these funds must be easily accessible. The only way to achieve this is for the Fund to have a management structure that grants fair and adequate representation for both SIDS and LDCs.
We intend to pursue a vigorous programme of public diplomacy to continue to raise awareness on this issue of vital national and global interest. In doing so, we will present climate change adaptation and mitigation as opportunities to embrace as well as problems to solve. We will continue to campaign vigorously for the global recognition that every individual is entitled to the fundamental right of a safe environment.
Excellencies:
The Maldives is leading an international initiative of Small Island States to put people back at the heart of climate change policy. We are hosting a conference entitled “The Human Dimension of Global Climate Change” in Male’, on the 13th and 14th of this month. We hope this conference will pave the way for Small Island States to go to Bali with a common platform and an unambiguous message. As individual countries, we can only whisper. As one united group, our voice will be heard, strong and clear.
The Maldives will raise the issue of the human dimension of climate change – that environmental protection is a fundamental human right – at the Bali conference. The meeting of the UNFCCC could be our last chance to make significant advances towards a comprehensive and effective post-Kyoto climate change regime.
Climate change is not just an environmental problem, nor is it a scientific theory; it is first and foremost a real human issue. It is already impacting individuals around the planet through increased incidence of natural disasters. These impacts have been observed to be steadily intensifying in frequency and magnitude. If left unchecked, the changes in our climate system could very well wipe out some fundamental human rights we enjoy, including the right to life itself.
The 1972 Stockholm Declaration of the UN Conference on the Human Environment states that “Both aspects of man’s environment, the natural and the man-made, are essential to his well-being and to the enjoyment of basic human rights – even the right to life itself”. Similarly, the Aarhus Convention of 1998 established that “every person has the right to live in an environment adequate to his or her health and well-being”. Also, the UN General Assembly resolution 45/94 stated that “all individuals are entitled to live in an environment adequate for their health and well-being”. These documents clearly establish the foundations for linking human rights and environmental protection.
The road towards a comprehensive and effective climate change treaty has been a long and winding one. The destination is still not in our reach. If we are to succeed, we must travel this road together with purpose, commitment, and resolve. Our people are waiting in expectation, as they have done so for over two decades; it is time for us to lead and to meet their expectations.
Our challenge is to navigate the complexities of science and the rough seas of political negotiation to reach a comprehensive international consensus on global climate change. The scale of this challenge is daunting, but the prize we seek is the very survival of vulnerable nations like the Maldives and the long term prosperity of all nations.
We have failed to reach consensus on too many occasions. We have let short-term profits dictate over long-term global benefits for far too long. Let us go forth to Bali with a mindset to succeed. Let us try to put a smile on the faces of our peoples. We owe it to them!
Thank you.