Security Council meeting 5663-Resu.1

The President

I should like to inform the Council that I have received letters from the representatives of Comoros and Mauritius, in which they request to be invited to participate in the discussion of the item on the Council's agenda. In conformity with the usual practice, I propose, with the consent of the Council, to invite those representatives to participate in the discussion, without the right to vote, in accordance with the relevant provisions of the Charter and rule 37 of the Council's provisional rules of procedure.

There being no objection, it is so decided.

The President

I would like to remind all speakers, as was indicated at the morning meeting, that they should limit their statements to no more than five minutes in order to enable the Council to carry out its work expeditiously.

I now give the floor to the representative of Barbados.

Mr. Hackett (Barbados)

Madam President, on behalf of the Government of Barbados, I wish to convey to you our deepest appreciation for the important leadership role that the United Kingdom has played, and continues to play, in heightening global awareness of the imminent dangers posed by climate change, as well as your Government's efforts at forging an urgent and coordinated response to this looming global disaster.

We bear witness to one of the greatest and most serious environmental and development challenges in the history of humankind -- namely, controlling and coping with climate change. As a country caught squarely in the crosshairs of this global emergency, we are ever conscious of the enormous challenges posed to our sustainable development by climate change and its attendant impact.

Developing countries are most vulnerable to climate change, and we are the least able to protect ourselves. For small island developing States, the challenges are even more complex and profound and our needs more urgent. The adverse effects of climate change and associated phenomena, including sea-level rise, the change in behaviour and higher intensity of hurricanes, and the change in frequency and distribution of other extreme events, such as floods and droughts, threaten the very livelihoods and existence of small island developing States, despite the fact that we have contributed only negligibly to the genesis of the problem.

With the recent release of the contributions of Working Groups I and II to the Fourth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), there is now greater scientific certainty that dangerous climate change is already occurring and that the opportunity to avoid potentially irreversible, unimaginable damage to the climate system will be lost if urgent and ambitious global efforts are not made. As Sir Nicholas Stern puts it, if we continue to ignore climate change, the impact on the global economy will be "on a scale similar to those associated with the great wars and the economic depression of the first half of the twentieth century". And while we might differ on the issues of timing, location and scope, any economic, social, humanitarian and environmental crisis of this magnitude will likely have other unfortunate consequences, including for international peace and security. There is no excuse -- scientific or otherwise -- to delay immediate action.

As we confront this global crisis, a relevant consideration will be how future generations will judge our response. If we continue to delay action, we will be judged harshly, and deservedly so, for having callously placed their inheritance and future in great jeopardy. For today we might have choices; tomorrow, they will not. Yet despite these sobering realities, there is still a glimmer of hope that if we act rapidly we may soften the blow of this looming climate catastrophe, particularly with respect to the poorest and most vulnerable.

Those who have historically contributed most to the problem have a moral and legal obligation to assume primary responsibility. Developed countries must take the lead in significantly reducing harmful greenhouse gas emissions and in providing the necessary financial and technological assistance to support the adaptation efforts of developing countries. The Kyoto Protocol should not be abandoned. Those that continue to reject their agreed commitments under that agreement must exercise good judgement, demonstrate good global citizenship and show the type and quality of leadership exhibited at other seminal moments in history. They must simply do the right thing. For, as former United States President John F. Kennedy once said:

"Today the eyes of all people are truly upon us -- and our Governments, in every branch, at every level, national, state and local, must be as a city upon a hill -- constructed and inhabited by men [and women] aware of their great trust and their great responsibilities".

Barbados remains of the view that the international community must attach the highest priority to completing ongoing climate change negotiations within the Framework Convention on Climate Change on a post-2012 arrangement by the end of 2008. Any new global agreement must lead to the achievement of substantial emission reductions in the shortest time frame possible and significantly increase the level of resources available to vulnerable developing countries, particularly small island developing States and least developed countries, to help them adapt to the adverse impacts of climate change.

Barbados believes that this debate in the Security Council should inspire the other principal organs of the United Nations to assume fully their Charter responsibilities in addressing the many dimensions of this problem. While the Framework Convention on Climate Change remains the primary forum for addressing climate change, Barbados wishes to propose that, consistent with General Assembly resolution 61/16, the Economic and Social Council should convene a special session at the foreign-minister level in September this year, on the margins of the main part of the sixty-second session of the General Assembly, to discuss the impact of climate change on sustainable development. We believe that such a discussion at the ministerial level would provide much-needed impetus to the negotiations which will take place in Bali, Indonesia, in December.

In closing, I would like to emphasize the need for development partners to join Barbados and the other small island developing States in the full and rapid implementation of the Barbados Programme of Action and the Mauritius Strategy, of which the issues of climate change and energy are important components. Effective implementation of those two international agreements, along with the action taken within the Framework Convention on Climate Change, will significantly assist the small island developing States in coping with the adverse effects of climate change.

The time for rhetoric and gamesmanship is over. We must act boldly, and we must act together to protect our planet for the benefit of future generations.

The President

The next speaker is the representative of Ukraine, to whom I give the floor.

Mr. Kryzhanivskyi (Ukraine)

At the outset, I would like to thank the United Kingdom presidency for its very timely and well-prepared initiative to hold an open debate on energy, security and climate. My delegation fully associates itself with the statement made by the representative of Germany on behalf of the European Union.

I should now like to touch on some additional issues that are of importance to my country.

Our heads of State or Government, at the 2005 World Summit, reaffirmed the emerging common understanding that security and development are closely interlinked and that there can be no security without sound economic systems, fair trade regimes, social welfare and the rule of law. But how can all of these be achieved if forces of nature can easily undermine well-planned human achievements, change the shape of continents and lead to dramatic changes in human habitats?

Science has proved on many occasions that climate change, global warming and pollution may have sudden and dramatic consequences if they are not addressed urgently, properly and effectively. Recent studies on these subjects have provided clear evidence to the international community of their long-term consequences, calling for immediate and decisive action.

Ukraine is firmly committed to international agreements in the area of climate change, including the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and its Kyoto Protocol. For my Government, the sustainable use of energy and the protection of the environment are not just empty slogans. A few days from now, we will solemnly commemorate the twenty-first anniversary of the Chernobyl catastrophe, the worst technological disaster ever faced by humanity. After more than two decades, Ukraine is still dealing with the grave consequences of contaminated land, the displacement of the population from the exclusion zone, health issues and psychological trauma. All of this, of course, has caused a slowdown in economic development and created vulnerabilities, posing potential risks to society.

Modern industrial development, in particular energy production, is the main source of detrimental effects on the environment. Thus it is crucial that energy, climate change and security be tackled jointly in order to realize the objective of a sustainable environment. We therefore deem it imperative, among other policy prescriptions, to build on appropriate incentives, public-private partnerships, low-carbon-emitting technologies and innovative solutions.

In that respect, my delegation would like in particular to underscore the importance of the reports of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, established under the auspices of the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), in assessing, compiling and synthesizing scientific, technical and socio-economic data. We are also looking forward to the publication of the 2007 Human Development Report, devoted to the theme of "Climate change and human development -- rising to the challenge".

Energy policy and climate change are moving towards the centre of policy-making in many countries. The process implies a multilateral framework, and today's deliberations have corroborated that thesis. In order to achieve the collective objective of combating climate change, we have various extraordinary targets. Achieving those targets will be a significant challenge for a vast majority of countries. It will require the full implementation of domestic greenhouse gas reduction measures and effective use of the flexible mechanisms adopted by international agreements.

We call on all parties involved to contribute generously to the process and to spare no effort in providing assistance and responding with sound national strategies. Ukraine, for its part, is ready to commit itself to implementing and promoting sustainable development as part of our national priorities.

The President

I now give the floor to the representative of Egypt.

Mr. Elbakly (Egypt)

At the outset, I wish, on behalf of my delegation, to welcome the Minister for Foreign Affairs of the United Kingdom to New York, and to express our pleasure at seeing you, Sir, preside over this meeting. Today's open debate in the Security Council is one means to develop ways for the Council to address important issues, taking into account the views and interests of the entire membership of the United Nations.

While the delegation of Egypt would like to emphasize the importance and timeliness of the theme of today's discussion on energy, security and climate and the powerful and serious impact of climate change on our world, we share with many developing countries the surprise and concern clearly reflected in the letters addressed to the President of the Security Council by the Chairs of the Group of 77 and China and of the Non-Aligned Movement on behalf of the entire membership of both groups, and in the Sudanese statement to be delivered later on behalf of the African Group.

It is obvious that the subject of today's debate lies clearly and squarely within the mandate of other bodies in the United Nations system, in particular the General Assembly, the Economic and Social Council, the Commission on Sustainable Development and the machinery of relevant United Nations treaties. This open Security Council debate also coincides with the preparations to address the same subject in the Commission on Sustainable Development later this month, as well as in other international treaty bodies, such as the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and its Kyoto Protocol, which are key instruments for addressing climate change.

What concerns us more is the deliberate encroachment of the Security Council on the mandates and primary responsibilities of other principal United Nations organs and subsidiary bodies, as defined by the Charter. This reflects clear and deliberate neglect of the provisions of the Charter. We are also concerned by the Council's indifference to the repeated demands of Member States to put an end to this dangerous and unjustified phenomenon. It is a clear challenge to the general membership of the United Nations to leave the way open for every President of the Security Council to decide a theme for an open debate, even if it lies totally beyond the Council's mandate. That makes it all the more important to reform the working methods of the Security Council and to expand its membership, as well as to ensure that the General Assembly takes more decisive measures to stop such infringement.

The claim that the issue of climate change and energy lies within the mandate of the Security Council, based on its impact on international peace and security, is an exaggerated claim which the Council presidency has sought to buttress through a concept paper (S/2007/186, annex) that seeks to emphasize that all subjects within the domain of the General Assembly and its subsidiary bodies have an impact on international peace and security, and hence may be seized by the Security Council. Such logic is unacceptable to the States Members of the Organization as it involves encroachment on the mandates and responsibilities of the General Assembly, which, as it represents the entire membership of the United Nations, is more universal and more democratic.

In the light of recent reports and scientific studies and the latest report of the Secretary-General on climate change, there is no room for doubting, arguing against or rejecting the dangers of climate change and its repercussions for humanity. But objectivity requires focusing on the circumstances which led us to this dangerous juncture, and on the proper and ideal manner in which to address it. I will not be saying anything new if I note that the developed countries are responsible for this phenomenon, because they have continued to pour emissions into the upper atmosphere and have failed to fulfil their obligation to rectify the situation and address it according to the provisions of the UNFCCC and the Kyoto Protocol.

Thus, the developing countries, including Egypt, view this open Security Council debate as an attempt by the developed countries to shrug off their responsibilities in that regard. The right path to combat this dangerous phenomenon is clear and lies in the fulfilment by all parties -- developed and developing -- of their commitments according to the principle of common but differentiated responsibilities, and not according to the principle of shared responsibilities which some countries are seeking to promote.

Needless to say, addressing this phenomenon effectively requires dealing with its causes and adapting to its adverse effects, especially when we know that the most affected States, in particular the African countries and the small island developing States, produce the smallest quantities of damaging greenhouse gas emissions and are at the same time the least capable of adapting to the negative impact.

In that context, Egypt, as one of the least significant emitters of greenhouse gases, emphasizes the need to address that serious problem from the perspective of the common interest of humanity -- and, again, in the proper forum in which all Member States participate -- not only from a security perspective, but from the perspective of the three pillars of sustainable development. If implemented in the framework of strong and active international cooperation, this would address the security impact referred to in the concept paper.

Finally, the Security Council has before it many other challenges which are more pertinent to the maintenance of international peace and security, which require more attention from the Council, and which lie within, not outside, its main mandate. There is no doubt that achieving a comprehensive and just peace in the Middle East lies at the heart of those challenges, along with the implementation of the comprehensive package agreed to at the 1995 Review and Extension Conference of the Parties to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, including the resolution on the Middle East. The importance of implementing the package and the 13 practical steps towards nuclear disarmament was stressed at the 2000 Review Conference.

We therefore look forward to the nuclear-weapon States -- including the United Kingdom -- implementing the package and seeking to include it in the agenda of the 2010 Review Conference. This process should begin with the first meetings of the Preparatory Committee this year. There should be no attempt to evade or to change the package in a way that would make it unsuccessful and would only adversely affect international peace and security by endangering the nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation regime.

Those are the issues that we wish to see the Security Council focus on, and that will be met with support from the general membership.

The President

I now give the floor to the representative of Australia.

Mr. Hill (Australia)

Climate change is a serious global challenge for the future. Over coming decades, climate change will progressively alter biospheres and sea levels, as well as add incrementally to the intensity of climate-related events such as cyclones and droughts. By moving early to address the risks, we could do much to reduce the potential threats to human well-being and security.

Australia is particularly vulnerable to climate change. We occupy the driest inhabited continent, with a highly variable climate and great susceptibility to drought. Shifting rainfall patterns in particular have severe environmental impacts in Australia and damage our agricultural industries.

Global action to mitigate climate change can temper its future impacts. The burden of responsibility falls particularly heavily on the major emitters. Twenty countries are responsible for 80 per cent of global greenhouse gas emissions.

Australia is committed to playing its part. We have already dedicated billions of dollars to develop, prove and deploy low-emissions technologies in Australia. We are supporting more efficient energy use, the uptake of renewable energy and reductions in land clearing. As a result of those and other policies and measures, Australia is tracking well to meet the target it agreed to at Kyoto.

Australia is a founder and major contributor to the Asia-Pacific Partnership on Clean Development and Climate, which aims to develop and spread low-emissions technologies and practices through practical public-private action. We will work with others, through our recently announced Global Initiative on Forests and Climate, to reduce deforestation, which is a source of some 20 per cent of global greenhouse emissions. Australia has pledged $200 million as part of that Initiative.

Australia will also look to other global opportunities to make progress. Our Prime Minister has written to his counterparts in the Asia-Pacific region to put clean development and climate change at the top of the agenda for this year's meeting of the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation forum (APEC) leaders in September in Sydney. The APEC economies account for 60 per cent of global energy demand and include the world's four largest energy consumers. And we will do more in the future, working internationally in the interests of more effective global mitigation action on climate change. That action must involve all of the major economies. In the actions we take, we must avoid disruption to energy supply, as reliable energy trade is vital to energy security and political security more generally.

A degree of climate change is already inevitable. Action to adapt to the impacts of global warming in the coming years is therefore vital if we are to reduce our exposure to the risks implicit in a changing climate. The anticipated regional variations in those impacts demand that adaptation measures be tailored and localized. For example, Australia has already committed $10 billion to improving the sustainability of water use in Australia and, just last week, the Prime Minister announced an initiative to establish a national centre for climate change adaptation, primarily to study the coastal, regional and atmospheric impacts of climate change in our country.

We will also help others to adapt to the future impacts of climate change, cognizant that the least developed among us are likely to be less able to respond to the impacts of a changing climate. Australia therefore welcomes the multilateral support that the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change brings to adaptation.

Our world is dynamic and challenging. Natural disasters have the potential to devastate communities and can threaten the very viability of countries, particularly small island States. Each year, more than 200 million people are affected by disasters, such as earthquakes, tsunami and pandemics. Those disasters are unrelated to climate change, but they do highlight the vulnerability to environmental impacts that all countries face. For that reason, improving resilience to climate-related and other natural disasters must form an integral part of national development strategies.

We encourage all countries to further strengthen their support to disaster mitigation, preparedness and response. We commend the work of the United Nations International Strategy for Disaster Reduction in coordinating the implementation of the Hyogo Framework for Action. The Framework represents a global blueprint for building the resilience of nations and their communities to the impacts of disasters.

This is a different sort of threat to that usually debated in this place. Nevertheless, a failure to act now on climate change would exacerbate the risks in the future, and so a concerted and intensified commitment to both mitigation and adaptation is warranted. The challenge is to find ways to achieve those goals in a manner that supports economic growth, that is fair and effective, and that recognizes economic disparities. It is in all our interests that we meet this challenge together.

The President

I now call on the representative of New Zealand.

Ms. Banks (New Zealand)

New Zealand welcomes this opportunity to address the Security Council on the important issues of energy, security and climate. We thank the United Kingdom for its initiative in hosting the debate, which in our view is a useful way of drawing further attention to those challenging issues.

New Zealand also welcomes the United Kingdom's concept paper. We urgently need to focus the attention of the international community on some of the most serious implications of climate change. Governments are becoming more aware that the effects of climate change are much more than threats to the environment alone. They also threaten some of the most fundamental needs of our citizens: a safe place to live, access to water, health care and food, and the ability to earn a living. When those needs are threatened, whole societies are at risk of instability. So it is entirely appropriate that we are discussing the security dimensions of climate change in this forum.

New Zealand would like to highlight two themes that are important for us and for our Pacific region.

First, sustainable development, including responses to climate change, and energy security need to be considered together. In New Zealand, we are developing our energy and climate change policies in tandem, including focusing on ways to maximize New Zealand's energy derived from renewable sources and promoting diversity in our energy supply. That will help us to secure a low-emissions energy supply. We recognize that the use of low-emissions technologies and improving energy efficiency are fundamental to industrialized and developing countries alike in reducing carbon emissions and maintaining a secure energy supply for the future. Energy issues are also a major challenge for the Pacific. In recognition of that, Pacific energy ministers will be meeting at the end of April to discuss how the region might address those challenges, particularly in the renewable energy sector.

Secondly, many of the countries in our part of the world, the Pacific, are amongst the most vulnerable to climate change impacts. That is likely to exacerbate issues such as access to fresh water and vulnerability to cyclones, drought or flooding. The Mauritius Implementation Strategy speaks of the existential risks that climate change and sea-level rise pose to small island developing States. It also notes the ongoing threats posed to the sustainable development of those nations and the priority that should be given to adaptation. Those threats, alongside limitations on the capacity of small island developing States to respond, mean that we are already talking about the viability of some societies.

There is an important role for other nations in providing assistance to Pacific and other small island developing States, as well as other vulnerable countries, in evaluating the impacts of and adapting to climate change. Assistance provided by the international community, however, does need to be tailored to different risk and development circumstances and to various national contexts. It should also support the objectives of recipient States themselves in order to ensure local ownership and practical results. For example, the Government of Kiribati has made climate change adaptation a central priority, and New Zealand is pleased to help support its adaptation programme.

While climate change presents all of us with daunting challenges, there are solutions. Above all, this debate is a timely reminder of the need for effective concerted international action within the United Nations framework. We need a process that brings the major emitters of greenhouse gases together in the United Nations to forge a truly global response to climate change.

The President

I now give the floor to the representative of Tuvalu.

Mr. Pita (Tuvalu)

Tuvalu fully aligns itself with the statement made by the Permanent Representative of Papua New Guinea on behalf of the Pacific island countries and Pacific small island developing States.

Tuvalu is greatly honoured to have been given this golden opportunity to speak in the Security Council. First, I must thank you, Mr. President, and your Government, for your wisdom in calling for this special open debate of the Council on the theme of energy, security and climate.

At the sixtieth anniversary General Assembly in 2005, as on many other occasions here at the United Nations, the Government of Tuvalu highlighted the issue of environmental security, particularly in relation to climate change. We are extremely grateful to see that this concern is now on the agenda of the Security Council. We strongly believe that the Security Council should permanently place the issue of climate change and environmental security on its agenda, just as it wisely decided to do in 2000 with regard to the issue of the security threat posed by HIV/AIDS.

As is well known, this is a topic of extreme importance to a small, atoll nation like Tuvalu. The recent report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change further highlighted the extreme vulnerability of island countries like Tuvalu to the impact of climate change and the urgent necessity for global actions to address their vulnerability.

We face many threats associated with climate change. Ocean warming is changing the very nature of our island nation. Our coral reefs are slowly dying through coral bleaching, we are witnessing changes to fish stocks and we face the increasing threat of more severe cyclones. Given that our highest point is four metres above sea level, the threat of severe cyclones is extremely disturbing to us, and severe water shortages will further threaten the livelihood of people in many islands.

Our livelihood is already threatened by sea-level rise, and the implications for our long-term security are very disturbing. Many have spoken about the possibility of migrating from our homeland. If that becomes a reality, then we will be faced with an unprecedented threat to our nationhood; it would be an infringement of our fundamental rights to nationality and statehood as constituted under the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and other international conventions.

But Tuvalu is not alone in facing the threat of climate change. Many millions of people will suffer the effects. The world has moved from a global threat called the cold war to what should now be considered the "warming war". Our conflict is not being fought with guns and missiles but with weapons from everyday life -- chimney stacks and exhaust pipes.

We are confronted with a chemical war of immense proportions. As the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs of the United Kingdom correctly underscored during the most recent general debate in the General Assembly, "if we all try to freeride, we will all end up in free fall" (A/61/PV.16, p. 20) as a result of the impact of climate change.

With regard to energy, it is clear from the ongoing world crisis that the security dimensions of access to and use of sources of energy must be addressed. The world needs a mix of energy sources that is easily accessible for all countries and communities. Tuvalu's own security is also threatened by the high cost of its energy supply. Importing fossil fuels into Tuvalu to provide fuel for electricity generation and inter-island transport is one of the greatest drains on our economy, using funds which could otherwise have been saved for climate change adaptation. Our economic sustainability is contingent on our acquiring self-sustaining and reliable renewable energy and energy efficiency technologies. We humbly call upon the Security Council to understand and respond to these new concepts of security and conflict.

Tuvalu joined the United Nations on 5 September 2000, firmly believing in its noble pillars of development, security and human rights as the source of security against the very threat of climate change. By virtue of this membership, our security concerns relating to climate change cannot be simply ignored. The Security Council must consider the threat to our national security and, ultimately, to global security, from a new perspective. We are a peace-loving nation and have no army. We will pose no security threat even if we face the full consequences of climate change; but we must not disappear from the Security Council radar screen. As the great Martin Luther King said, "Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere".

Through you, Mr. President, we therefore beseech the Security Council to act urgently to address the threats to our national security. We would respectfully like to make four concrete suggestions. First, we believe that the real and serious threat posed by climate change demands that solutions and decisions be taken at the highest level of Government. As in General Assembly debates, we strongly encourage the Security Council to adopt a resolution to urge the Secretary-General to convene a world leaders' summit on climate change as soon as possible.

Secondly, such a summit should create the impetus to establish a new economic forum to dramatically boost access to environmentally friendly energy security options for all the nations of the world. In this context, however, nuclear and clean fossil fuel cannot be part of the solution for Tuvalu and many small island developing States, considering the security risks to our fragile environments. It is our humble view that the rapid development and deployment of renewable energy and energy efficiency technologies must be the primary focus of an energy security agenda. These have the benefits of creating energy self-sufficiency, reducing poverty and making a major contribution to mitigating climate change.

Thirdly, there is an urgent need to build strong institutional arrangements to protect and restore vulnerable countries like Tuvalu from the impact of climate change. We need a global strategy on adaptation and disaster-risk reduction, which should include new insurance facilities. Those could be key themes for consideration at the proposed summit on climate change.

Finally, we strongly encourage the Security Council to review its Charter obligations and to fully embrace the concept of environmental security within its mandate. This is not simply a matter of identifying trouble spots where armed conflict may be linked to environmental decline. We believe that the Security Council should address environmental decline as a security issue in itself.

As former Secretary-General Mr. Kofi Annan stated at the twelfth session of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change in Nairobi, "The question is not whether climate change is happening or not, but whether [...] we ourselves can change fast enough".

The Security Council must provide the much-needed impetus for that timely change to address climate change. Tuvalu looks forward to the ongoing considerations of this agenda item and sincerely hopes that the Security Council can find a meaningful way to address the security concerns of extremely vulnerable countries like Tuvalu. My delegation fully supports the United Kingdom's proposal on climate change before the Security Council.

The President

I give the floor to the representative of Bangladesh.

Mr. Sorcar (Bangladesh)

Allow me to congratulate you, Sir, on your assumption of the presidency of the Council.

My delegation broadly associates itself with the statements made by the representatives of Pakistan on behalf of the Group of 77 and China and of Cuba on behalf of the Non-Aligned Movement.

The issues of energy and the environment are of critical importance in the context of sustainable development -- even more so for developing countries. The development aspect has been thoroughly deliberated on by an extensive range of actors, particularly within the United Nations. The security implications of global climate change, however, have not merited consideration by intergovernmental bodies like the United Nations, although they have, for more than a decade now, been considered outside the Organization. They have been the subject of research, using a variety of scenarios and models, by a wide range of institutions from academia to think tanks and beyond. The United Kingdom presidency has definitely taken a bold step in attempting to explore whether the energy-climate-security nexus is mature enough for intergovernmental deliberations. We believe, however, that this is still primarily an issue of development, although the security ramifications can no longer be dismissed. It is becoming increasingly apparent that global climate change has the potential to turn out to be a major security concern only if we, through our apathy and inaction, fail to deal with climate change as a sustainable development issue.

While the interrelationship among energy, climate and security is being examined, there is little doubt that the global climate is changing, relentlessly and inexorably. The fourth assessment report of the Intergovernmental Panel of Climate Change shows that, unless very drastic measures are taken, humanity will have to face unprecedented challenges of an inconceivable magnitude. No country will be spared from the adverse effects of climate change, though some will be disproportionately affected. Populous and underdeveloped countries, particularly those that are geographically disadvantaged, will be the hardest hit.

The projection for Bangladesh is ominous, to say the least. The country is basically a vast river delta, indeed the largest in the world. It is cleaved by two of the mightiest rivers -- the Ganges and the Brahmaputra. These rivers and their thousands of distributaries shape the destiny of Bangladesh's 147 million people. With warming weather, the Himalayan snow will melt and torrential waters will flow down from the north, inundating the flat alluvial plain. With a rising sea level, saline water will flow up from the south, and meet the melting mountains. Millions of people will be caught in between with nowhere to go.

What might come next will need some imagination. But even the mere possibility of such an unthinkable event is sufficient reason to seriously look for ways to prevent a future that none of us will be able to handle.

Bangladesh will not be the only country affected by global climate change, although it will be one of the worst affected. The increasing surface and ocean temperature will lead to evaporation and more rainfall around the world, thereby giving rise to widespread floods. Extreme weather events, such as droughts, hurricanes and tornadoes, will occur more frequently and with increased intensity. No one can fight the wrath of nature, however much he may be endowed with resources. But human wisdom and action can perhaps prevent some extreme weather events, particularly if the instability of nature is man-made.

We already know what action we need to take to prevent the looming global catastrophe. We have examined this situation in the context of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and its 1997 Kyoto Protocol. Regrettably, we have not moved into timely action and have failed to meet the deadline. We now need to urgently look for mechanisms, institutions and consensus-building processes that will motivate us to combine our forces to avoid a horrendous future of our own creation. We hope that the recent report of the IPCC will be instrumental in overcoming our inertia and will trigger a cascade of actions that is long overdue.

We welcome the proposed world summit on climate change and encourage the Secretary-General to explore its possibilities. A world summit will give us opportunity to take a fresh look at what our common and differentiated responsibilities are. Demonstrable progress and leadership is required from industrialized countries, particularly in providing reassurance that low carbon emissions will not be obtained at the cost of development. We stand ready to join in a global consensus which will shape the destiny of our present and future generations.

The President

I give the floor to the representative of Venezuela.

Ms. Leong (Venezuela)

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