MINISTER SPEECH -THE CLIMATE CHANGE SEMINAR 2012

Transcription

1 MINISTER SPEECH -THE CLIMATE CHANGE SEMINAR It gives me great pleasure to be able to address you this morning and officiate at this Climate Change Seminar 2012 with the theme Adaptation or Mitigation Do we have a Choice? organised by Centre for Environment, Technology and Development, Malaysia (CETDEM). I thank CETDEM for their efforts in organising this timely and important seminar. The issues that are to be dealt with at this seminar and panel discussion are at the core of our national response to climate change. They will help determine how climate change is addressed in view of our current and very real adaptation needs and our voluntary mitigation actions. 2. The issues and challenges we face to combat climate change have long been discussed and debated by the international community. Enough scientific studies have been conducted on the causes of global warming as well as numerous meetings and gatherings at various levels have been held to address climate change issues. 3. The negotiators at international climate talks have directly or indirectly agreed that we must prevent global warming of more than two degrees Celsius to prevent disastrous climate outcomes. Atmospheric carbon dioxide levels have risen to 397 parts per million (ppm) today compared to 280 parts per million before the industrial revolution. Monitoring stations in the Arctic have recently detected record levels of 400 ppm. As we all know, a level of 450 ppm has generally been associated with an average global temperature rise of two degrees Celsius. 4. But now studies by James Hansen of NASA and others, reported in Scientific American journal dated 6 December 2011, show that the the two-degree target for global temperature rise is a prescription for disaster,. According to the Scientific Journal, the latest analysis shows that a level of 450 ppm is enough to melt a significant portion of the world s ice. If the number reaches 560 ppm, a doubling of preindustrial values, sea level globally could rise 25 meters. And if nations continue to emit CO2 at current rates, the world could reach 560 ppm by Despite these warnings, the international community is still very slow to respond. Not much has been achieved other the rhetoric and hype at climate talks and the pledges made to combat climate change. We know the the costs for adaptation and mitigating climate change. But have we done enough to allocate the required financial resources. For example, there exist a huge gap between the promised funds and the actual funds allocated for the Green Climate Fund of the UNFCCC. Besides this, for a long time we have been focusing on

2 mitigating climate change which has been the stated goals of international conventions and UNFCCC negotiations to the introduction of carbon tax. 6. Although Adaptation and Mitigation have long been recognised as key pillars under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), together with the other key pillars such as Finance, Technology Transfer and Capacity Building, Adaptation has, for a number of critical reasons, not received the international attention it has needed, given the urgency of this issue. 7. This is clearly demonstrated by the fact that while the Kyoto Protocol (KP) was established way back in 1997 to operationalize mitigation measures, at that point, there was little political ambition to operationalize Adaptation measures. Indeed, the only consideration given to Adaptation was to establish the Adaptation Fund, a solidarity fund through which adaptation measures in developing countries are to be funded through a two-per cent levy on the earnings of Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) projects undertaken by other developing countries. 8. Only in the recent Cancun Adaptation Framework, fifteen years after the establishment of the Kyoto Protocol, has an Adaptation Committee finally been established by Parties to promote the enhanced implementation of Adaptation. 9. It should come as no surprise, therefore, to learn that national public awareness on the need to adapt to the current and very real adverse impacts of climate change is not anywhere as mature as the discussion and awareness surrounding the need to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions through wise energy use, enhanced natural resource management and prudent changes in lifestyle. 10. To begin with, many developing countries already have well developed disaster and risk management plans in place to address natural events such as droughts, floods, and other natural catastrophes. 11. In addition, most, if not all, developing countries have well developed, long term development plans to manage shortages and excesses of water, to ensure food and energy security, to strengthen industrial and transportation infrastructure, and to alleviate poverty through the strengthening of the GNI and GDP. To further complicate matters, many of these initiatives are currently funded through international development assistance from developed countries. 12. In the interim, however, developing countries have not had the luxury to wait for developed countries, to firstly, acknowledge that the escalating incidence of extreme weather events is

3 directly linked to their historical greenhouse gas emissions, and secondly, to decide to render the assistance needed by developing countries to implement adaptation measures. Instead, developing countries have, out of necessity, had to finance these initiatives out of their own treasuries. The principal challenge for developing countries has been to identify and isolate the costs of adapting to extreme weather events as distinct from any existing development initiatives either funded domestically, or from international sources. 13. Across the globe, many developing countries including Malaysia, and indeed, many developed countries are beginning to find themselves in this unenviable predicament. The countries are being pressured by ever-increasing adaptation needs and issues of loss and damage due to the adverse impacts of climate change, while at the same time being increasingly called upon to implement measures that effectively and progressively reduce the carbon intensity of our daily activities, our business and our industries. 14. However, let me make one thing crystal clear. No country can effectively mitigate climate change if it has not taken adequate adaptation measures to protect itself from the impacts of climate change. Inadequate preparation for adaptation will see us constantly having to respond to the adverse impacts of climate change rather than being prepared for extreme weather events when they strike. 15. It is impossible to undertake mitigation actions, voluntary or otherwise, if you are experiencing droughts, which could bring declining crop or fishery yields, fighting forest fires and heat waves, or running short of electricity because hydroelectric dams are running dry. In the same way, it will be extremely difficult, if not impossible, to reduce GHG emissions if you are evacuating people and businesses and desperately mobilising emergency supplies of food and clean drinking water due to floods. 16. For this reason, it is critically important that adaptation planning and implementation be informed by latest weather, climate, and sea level data to ensure that Malaysia is prepared for the scale of extreme weather events that have occurred in the region. As we have seen, our neighbours to the north, Thailand and the Philippines, have already suffered greatly from extreme weather events. Even highly organised and well financed Singapore, to the south, has not been spared. 17. Given the current global financial uncertainties, finding the delicate balance between implementing Adaptation measures and undertaking voluntary mitigation actions will pose the most significant policy challenge for stakeholders and policymakers. While adaptation mega projects such as the Smart Tunnel have put Malaysia on the global map as a country that is taking a serious stance on Climate Change Adaptation, there are numerous measures that have simultaneous mitigation and adaptation benefits that can yet be implemented in

4 Malaysia. Implementing these measures will further strengthen adaptive capacity in Malaysia while at the same time reducing energy use and greenhouse gas emissions. 18. In this regard, the National Policy on Climate Change launched in 2010 aims to ensure climate resilient development to fulfil national aspirations for sustainability. The Policy contains five (5) principles, ten (10) strategic thrusts, and forty-three (43) key actions with the focus on both mitigation and adaptation measures. The Policy serves as the framework to mobilize and guide government agencies, industry, community as well as other stakeholders and major groups in addressing the challenges of climate change in a concerted and holistic manner. Emphasis is on strengthening capacity of the nation to reduce its vulnerability to climate change whilst promoting mitigation responses that also enhance sustainable development. 19. At this juncture, I would like to reiterate that Malaysia has the base knowledge and capacity to mainstream climate change adaptation within its development framework. But we need technology, capacity and funds to ensure adaptation plans and programmes are implemented on the ground. This is our main challenge in relation to climate change adaptation. 20. However this has not stopped us from implementing numerous adaptation measures which include conducting National Coastal Vulnerability Index Study to identify coastal area exposed to the effect of sea level rise. The result of the study will be used to prepare Coastal Vulnerability Index with level of exposure to coastal area so that any development in these areas can be avoided. At the same time it will be the basis to implement protection measure caused by sea level rise. Besides we have also conducted the Study of the Impact of Climate Change on Sea Level in Malaysia Projections of Sea Level Rise for year Based on the recommendations of the above studies, the Ministry through the Department of Drainage and Irrigation has already implemented adaptation measures especially in the areas vulnerable to sea level rise. These include implementing flood mitigation projects and protecting the coastline from the effects from potential sea level rise by raising the river and coastal bund/dyke and constructing coastal revetment at the low-lying land. Ladies and Gentlemen 22. In an era of global economic uncertainty, establishing and maintaining the delicate balance between adaptation and mitigation actions will become increasingly important. As funding continues to be scarce, all stakeholders will need to explore new and innovative means to achieve this balance. The development of well thought-out hybrid adaptation-cummitigation plan will require detailed information on costs and benefits in multiple sectors. These cost benefit scenarios will have to be evaluated and prioritized to optimize financing and generate the greatest amount of adaptation and the deepest mitigation cuts possible for each and every ringgit spent. Insofar as the costs of adapting to climate change are

5 concerned, more local studies are needed in order to provide the government with some estimate of costs involved for various sector of economy, either in terms of direct costs or impacts on GDP. In this regard, this seminar is both timely and appropriate. Exploring these issues in detail will help identify strengths and synergies as well as gaps in understanding and implementation, and will inform policy development in this area. 23. I once again would like to thank CETDEM for organizing this seminar and wish all of you rich and fruitful discussions. 24. On that note, it gives me great pleasure now to declare this Seminar open. Thank you