November 16, 2011
[youtube 9j1sfRxg7NE 232 190]
Video of the speech from OneWorldTVInauguration of the Climate Vulnerable Forum, Dhaka, 14 November 2011
By José María Figueres, President of Costa Rica (1994-1998) and DARA Board Member
Let me begin by thanking Bangladesh for their cordial hospitality, and for being the host of this second Climate Vulnerable Forum. And let me recognise your unbending leadership, Mr. Secretary-General, on all issues dealing with climate change.
Friends, we all know development is not easy. Improving nutrition for children to receive the protein they need for their little brains to develop and be able to learn, fighting against lack of access to proper healthcare programmes, especially for the women in our world, changing mediocre education so that we can enhance the opportunities of the future generations, creating conditions for job generation by the private sector, or fighting to maintain peace. The complexity of all these challenges consumes our energy and our days. And because we are in the thick of these fights we do not focus sufficiently on the big picture. Let me invite you to take a step back.
Let me suggest that 200 years of industrial revolution are rapidly coming to an end. And that instead, over the horizon, we are seeing the birth of a much more promising, more inclusive and better low-carbon economy. I say that the industrial revolution may be coming to an end because on one side a growing population and our dysfunctional patterns are making us realize for the first time in the history of humanity that we live in a world with planetary boundaries, and because on the other end the carbon intensive development style inherent in the industrial revolution is creating an increasingly inhospitable planet.
What do we do then, and where do we go? There is an unfinished war that we need to win, which is the war against poverty and inequality. One billion of us in the world today over-consume, and 6 billion are still trying to make it through. And there is a new war we need to fight, and hopefully win, which is the war against climate change. 385 parts per million of carbon in the atmosphere today, 3 more parts per year puts us on a trajectory of being of 660 parts per million by the end of the century. That is planet with 5 degrees centigrade change with respect to what we have today. Fortunately, friends, both wars can be fought and won by a transition to a low-carbon economy. It present much greater opportunities than the industrial revolution presented our forefathers 200 years ago. And while only some benefitted from the industrial revolution, from the transition to low-carbon, we can all benefit.
“What the world did, and is still doing, in leapfrogging to cell phones, we need to do again by leapfrogging to a low carbon economy.“
Those of us here today at the Climate Vulnerable Forum are ready to move in this new direction of low-carbon economy, even though of course we did not cause the problem. Costa Rica, my country, passed a carbon tax back in 1995, and the world is still thinking of how to do that, and (Costa Rica) increased its competitiveness by doing so. We have discovered that the environment is good business, that it generates jobs; it creates wealth and a much more dynamic economy, and a wealth of opportunities.
Bangladesh has invested heavily in research and development to adapt its rice to new environmental conditions. Bumper crops last year will be hopefully surpassed this year, on the way to setting Bangladesh on the track to full food security. What the world did, and is still doing, in leapfrogging to cell phones, we need to do again by leapfrogging to a low-carbon economy. We did not create the problem, but we are ready to do our responsibility as citizens of the world. The rest, also due to comply with their responsibility. We were going to address this problem in Copenhagen. The Secretary-General did everything he could at that point in time, and we didn´t. Then we were in Cancún, now we are going on to Durban, then where? What comes next? How many COPs do we have to do keep on going to, how much longer?
This same week, the International Energy Agency, which is an organisation funded by the developed nations, came out with its World Energy Outlook 2011, and it clearly states that unless we start moving in a new direction, the window of opportunity to do so will close by the year 2017 because we will have locked ourselves in to a pattern of carbon emissions that will no longer give us the possibility to maintain temperatures other than 2% degree centigrade changes. And, while back in 2008 trillions of dollars flowed in a matter of hours and weeks, to rescue the largest banks of the world, 30 billion promised in Copenhagen over 3 years have not been fully funded, much less disbursed. Part of that money has been taken away from overseas development funds, which normally are disbursed around 80% per year. And with respect to climate, we have disbursement of less than 8% of what was promised back then. That is not serious. Any way you measure it, it´s not the way forward. Countries that are responsible for not acting, for not complying with what they promised in terms of funding to the developing nations in Copenhagen actually insult us. You are part of the problem, and you insult us.
The Minister of Kiribati is here with us today, and for many of the small island nations changing to solar energy is already economically viable because of the high cost of transporting fuel to those island nations. And yet, we don´t find the money to help them.
Ladies and gentlemen, the world seems to be in a bad mood. The Indignados in the Plaza del Sol in Madrid, the riots in London, the Occupy Wall Street movement; I think they all have a point. When it comes to climate, the developed world is dragging its feet, some that are powerful don´t want a Kyoto II. Some others that are even more powerful, don´t talk to transfer technology, and yet others that are even more powerful than the others don´t want anything at all.
“Countries that are responsible for not acting, for not complying with what they promised in terms of funding to the developing nations in Copenhagen actually insult us.“
Well, perhaps we need an occupy Durban. Alongside occupy Wall Street, occupy Durban, a peaceful sit in, by delegations of our countries, to drive change. An occupy Durban is certainly better than going on and on to another COP, waiting for Kiribati to disappear, or for one third of the population to be under water.
Amigas y amigos, at the end of the day there is no planet B, there is no planet B. As a board member of DARA, an international organisation based in Madrid, directed by Ross mountain who is here with us, and as a member of the Club of Madrid, which brings together over 80 ex-presidents and heads of state democratically elected around the world, we stand ready to work with the Climate Vulnerable Forum, and support your efforts as we move forward. The path that was begun in the Maldives when president Nasheed convened, as here in Bangladesh with the leadership of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, still has a long way to go, the transition to a low-carbon economy is a wonderful opportunity for us to work together. North and South, South and South, the private sector and the public sector all working together to handle this challenge, which we can transform into a tremendous opportunity in making this a much better world.
Share this