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Communications |
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ADDRESS BY THE HON. GEORGE PULLICINO, MINISTER FOR RESOURCES AND RURAL AFFAIRS, TO THE PARLIAMENTARY ASSEMBLY OF THE MEDITERRANEAN (PAM) ON DISASTER RISK REDUCTION AND CLIMATE CHANGE ADAPTATION – IN PREPARATION FOR COPENHAGEN – ST JULIAN’S – 24 NOVEMBER 2009 |
Date:
24/11/2009
I am delighted to be here today to discuss the crucial and interrelated topics of disaster risk reduction and climate change adaptation. Allow me to start my intervention by thanking the Parliamentary Assembly of the Mediterranean and UNISDR (United Nations International Strategy for Disaster Reduction) for organizing this event and for inviting me to take part.
As a small island in what is generally recognised as a climate change ‘hot spot’, Malta has long faced the problems which plague our region. Low levels of precipitation, desertification, water scarcity and the consequent problems with food production are all issues that we confront on a daily basis and which, we realise, may be further exacerbated with the effects of climate change. Malta has long recognized the necessity of adapting to the changing climate conditions and that action, taken by individual states, while necessary in targeting the particular situations that afflict that state, might is just not enough. Malta has always believed that climate change is a global challenge which confronts our planet and all of humanity and as such requires a collective and international counter- reaction.
This is why over 21 years ago, Malta helped placed the subject of climate change on the United Nations agenda. We have long understood that in our interconnected world, a disaster or a threat to existing living conditions, has to be tackled. Allow me to draw on an example which I feel illustrates perfectly the domino effect that a change in one country can have on its neighbouring countries and way beyond its region. Deforestation, soil erosion and desertification have in the last few years led to the phenomenon of what are referred to as ‘environmental refugees’. Unless drastic action is taken, water stress in the already fragile regions of the Sahel and the Horn of Africa will add to the social and economic pressures that are driving irregular immigration across the Mediterranean. This prospect accentuates the need for an effective and coordinated response so as to avoid the so-called ‘water wars’. The current crisis in Darfur should serve an emphatic reminder of the dire consequences should the situation not be addressed without further delay.
It is all countries that have a common interest in promoting an urgent and ambitious effort in remedying these situations together. It is this awareness that has led the Maltese government, notwithstanding Malta’s inherent limitations, to take a number of important actions both on the international and the domestic front.
Malta together with its European Union partners has bound itself with a number of targets under the EU’s Climate Change package. Through the said package the EU has put itself on the forefront of the efforts in achieving a global low carbon economy. It is with the same spirit that last December in Poznan, Malta declared its intention to join Annex I to the UNFCCC. The rationale behind this action is sui generis. Malta does not seek to differentiate itself from others. Rather, Malta seeks to put itself on the same legal footing as its fellow EU Member States in a collective and responsible thrust to continue reducing emissions of greenhouse gases after 2012… a clear testament to the fact that Malta has never shunned its international responsibilities.
Malta’s proposed move to Annex I will be decided upon in a few weeks’ time in Copenhagen during COP-15. As I am sure all of you are aware, this particular meeting in Copenhagen has been very much one of the principal items on the international agenda of late and there have been numerous meetings and conferences aimed at facilitating the conclusion of a new deal, addressing the international climate change regime for the post-2012 period.
Though it is apparent to all that the negotiations are not moving at the desired pace and the possibilities of an agreement on a legal framework at COP-15 are somewhat bleak, Malta, together with its European partners, shall continue to do its utmost to work towards the conclusion of a desirable agreement. We remain hopeful that the international community will rise to the challenge and that the outcome of the Copenhagen meeting will be comprehensive and deliver on all the substantive issues. This could pave the way towards the conclusion of a strong, legally-binding global climate change regime, which would include among other things, the support to be given to developing countries in respect of mitigation and adaptation action.
On the domestic front, the Maltese Government has taken a number of actions and initiatives aimed both at placing our country on the best possible platform to meet and satisfy its various international obligations as well as introducing measures to help our country adapt to the impacts of climate change. We have thus recently launched the ‘National Strategy for Policy and Abatement Measures relating to the reduction of Greenhouse Gas Emissions’ after a period of widespread public consultation. The strategy sets out 96 mitigation measures that need to be embarked upon or pursued even further and these measures have been prioritised.
While the work on the so-called mitigation front is at quite an advanced stage, this government is aware that when it comes to climate change, limiting our actions to reducing greenhouse gas emissions is simply not enough. The other major aspect of these discussions concerns actions on Adaptation to climate change. Malta’s inherent vulnerability to the adverse impacts of climate change makes the taking of urgent action one of our main priorities.
It is with this understanding that I have recently appointed an inter-disciplinary committee of experts and tasked it with the drafting of a National Strategy for Adaptation to Climate Change. The Committee has been asked to focus on three particular areas:
• Health and Socio-Economic Policy,
• Water and Flooding,
• Biodiversity and Agriculture,
which are some of the main areas in respect of which the effects of climate change have the greatest impact.
Let me conclude by thanking The Parliamentary Assembly of the Mediterranean (PAM) and the United Nations International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (UNISDR) once again for organising this event and by thanking those present for their contribution in the issues being discussed.
I invite you all to do your utmost to keep the issues of disaster reduction risks and of the necessity to take actions addressing adaption to climate change in the limelight, not only now in the run up to Copenhagen but particularly in the aftermath of this meeting, when the media and the public’s attention may have shifted to other matters. We as parliamentarians have a vital role in securing the necessary support and commitment to these issues. Disaster risk reduction and adaptation are not only practical but moral imperatives.
As I stated at yesterday’s meeting of the Environment Council of Ministers: a political agreement is not enough. We do not want an agreement just for agreement’s sake. Any future agreement must necessarily be designed to address the global issues relating to mitigation and adaptation measures, whilst taking into consideration the specific characteristics of each country. I think I’m safe to assume that all those present can agree that action in this regard must be taken on all fronts and must be taken now to protect our future generations! |
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