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H.E.
DR. SUSILO BAMBANG YUDHOYONO
PRESIDENT OF THE REPUBLIC OF INDONESIA
AT
THEMATIC PLENARY OF
THE HIGH-LEVEL EVENT ON CLIMATE CHANGE
NEW
YORK, 24 SEPTEMBER 2007
Let me
begin by thanking Secretary General Ban Ki-moon
for convening this timely event and for placing
climate change on top of this year's UN General
Assembly agenda.
We meet at
a time when world public opinion has never been
as focused on the issue of global warming as it
is today. There is now a much bigger window of
opportunity-bigger than Kyoto-opened by a surge
of public consciousness of climate change.
The
question is whether we have the sense of urgency
to make the necessary choices and take the
crucial initiatives that will curb global
warming.
I believe
we can. And we will. But first we must dare to
think outside the box. We must all recalibrate
our perspectives and adopt a fresh approach.
While we uphold the principle of "common and
differentiated responsibilities," let us all do
more and do things differentiy.
I am
heartened at the recent Vienna Climate Talk,
where Parties to the Kyoto Protocol finally
recognized the need for industrialized countries
to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 25 to 40
percent by 2020 compared to 1990 levels.
There are
local entities that are pursuing bold mitigation
targets that far exceed national, regional and
international targets. Their message to the
world is clear: you do need not wait for the
signing of a global consensus to do more to
reduce greenhouse emissions.
We the
developing countries can also do more. We should
create building blocks in the form of innovative
and forward-looking national strategies covering
mitigation and adaptation, while taking
advantage of the opportunities opened by
emerging low-carbon economic incentives.
These
building blocks should take into account market
mechanisms and other enabling mechanisms such as
fiscal and regulatory approaches that can reduce
the cost of mitigation and he'p mobilize the
required investments.
What we
need most can be summed up in one word:
technology. We must therefore figure out how
developing nations can obtain that
technology-either from the developed countries
or from one another. In this regard, APEC has
done right to establish an Asia-Pacific Network
for Energy Technology.
In the
same spirit, Indonesia and Norway have developed
cooperation on carbon sequestration technology
to reduce emissions from our oil drilling.
We should
also look closely into mitigation opportunities
by conserving, preserving and expanding the
world's carbon sinks contained in our forests.
Indonesia
has therefore taken the initiative of launching
a Special Leaders' Meeting of Tropical
Rainforest Countries today here in New York,
where countries blessed with large tracts of
tropical rainforests will gather and formulate a
constructive proposal to strengthen the role of
forests in reducing global warming.
We are
doing this as a moral imperative and a matter of
national interest. And because these tropical
rain forests serve a critically strategic role
as our planet's carbon sinks, the so-called
"lungs of the earth", these forestry initiatives
deserve
stronger support and more meaningful incentives.
Let us
therefore encourage the carbon market to give a
better price for each ton of carbon saved. Let
us also encourage multinational companies to
support the endeavours of rainforest countries
at reforestation and preventing deforestation.
Indonesia
is working closely with Australia, South Korea
and the United States in promoting reforestation
in kalimantan and Sumatra. We are also
cooperating closely with Malaysia and Brunei
Darussalam in the "Heart of Borneo" project,
which covers some 22 million square kilometers
of lush tropical rain forests.
Aside from
forestry measures, there is an array of
mitigation options that we must explore--
including increased energy efficiency, nuclear
power, biomass energy and other forms of fuel
substitution. We have all the technology to make
mitigation work. What we need is the right
attitude-- the optimism to give technology a
chance to work wonders.
Another
challenge that every community must face is
adaptation. In this regard, let me now draw your
attention to the plight of small island states
all over the world. They cannot simply build
seawalls like The Netherlands has done to
protect their citizens from rising sea level.
They must rely on the support of the
international community to avoid disappearing in
a watery grave.
Consider
also that around these small islands is a vast
expanse of coral reefs that will be severely
affected by the warming of the oceans. This is
the Coral Reef Triangle, covering an area of 5,7
million square km, stretching from Indonesia,
Malaysia, the Philippines, Papua New Guinea,
Timor Leste, and Solomon Islands. It is home to
over 70 percent of the world's coral species,
and is the source of livelihood of over 120
million people.
That is
why Indonesia has launched the Coral Triangle
Initiative for Corals, Fisheries and Food
Security. I am grateful that APEC is supporting
this initiative.
At the
forthcoming 13th Conference of Parties to the UN
Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC)
and the Third Meeting of Parties to the Kyoto
Protocol, which will both be held in Bali in
December, we will have the opportunity to assure
present and future generations that their
prospects have not been dimmed by climate
change. We can give that assurance if we have
the political will to meet an enormous moral
obligation with a sincere heart.
Thank you.
New York, September 24 2007
PRESIDENT OF THE REPUBLIC OF INDONESIA
DR. H. SUSILO BAMBANG YUDHOYONO
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