As part of the second week of talks at the COP 16 Climate Change Conference in Cancún, three meetings were held on Wednesday, December 8: the COP 16/CMP 6 President’s event on Initiatives by Cities and Parliaments; the Report of the Secretary-General’s High-level Advisory Group on Climate Change Financing; and Heads of State/Government Dialogues.
 
At the invitation of Mexico’s Secretariat of Environment and Natural Resources, Supreme Master Ching Hai had agreed to attend some of these important meetings out of her deep concern and support for the summit’s shared goal of planet-saving initiatives.

During the Wednesday gatherings, British climate expert Lord Nicholas Stern called for focus on poverty mitigation and a climate change project for solutions to take effect not just now, but also over the next years.

African leaders from countries such as Namibia also expressed concern, noting that the situation is much graver than they had been aware.

Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah, Minister of Environment & Tourism, Namibia (F): The impact of climate change are already being felt in Namibia, manifesting itself in the form of frequent droughts, floods, rainfall variability, and high temperature.

VOICE: Although the whole continent only emits as much pollution as the US state of Texas, it unfortunately suffers the most, with internal wars linked to climate change effects.

With inland regions facing the extremes of both drought and flooding, and coastal communities threatened by steep sea level rises, many people could soon be risking their lives to migrate to such countries as Europe.

As anything over a 1.5 degrees Celsius rise in global temperatures would spell disaster for Africa, the representatives present called for mitigation action to be agreed upon now, saying that it would otherwise be too late.

One proposed measure is to plant one billion trees per year, which would create a major carbon storage source and help retain moisture, thus benefiting agriculture and helping to reduce poverty.
Delegates also pointed out Africa’s strong potential for using sustainable energy, such as through a Sahara Desert solar project.

Attention was also drawn to islands endangered by climate change. The Caribbean islands, for instance, are facing a steep increase of hurricanes,including the recent Hurricane Tomas. 

Residents of the Pacific islands, many of whom are already suffering psychologically as their nations become submerged in rising seas, are looking for land to escape to. Palau’s President Johnson Toribiong spoke of his island nation’s plight as encroaching waters and a warming ocean affect crops and biodiversity as well as causing a drop in tourism.

Saying that the population was shocked when high tides first inundated their taro plantings, he said they now realize that such disasters are due to humans’ abuse of nature. Emphasizing that the trend must be reversed lest the low-lying islands disappear completely, President Toribiong highlighted win-win green policies such as Palau’s own endeavors in converting to solar energy and planting trees.

As for Asian nations, commendable efforts were raised, including India’s responsible green policy plans to utilize solar power and natural gas and initiatives by the Malaysian government.

Dato' Sri Douglas Uggah Embas, Minister for Natural Resources and Environment, Malaysia (M): Malaysian government has taken the initiative to strive to the low-carbon society. Among the ongoing program are measures that are getting renewable energy and energy efficiency.

In addition, Malaysia reaffirms its commitment to maintain 50 percent of its land area on the grid cover to sustainable forest management and good agriculture practices. We are also embarking in a long term tree-planting program.

Between April and June this year, more than 5 million trees have been planted. This is part of an ambitious program to plant 26 million trees.

VOICE: Meanwhile, conveying his admiration for other leaders’ efforts to tackle climate change, Mexican President Felipe Calderon emphasized the importance of providing financial support rather than further burden low-income families with the costs of restoring the environment.

Also addressing the significance of climate change, Honduran President Porfirio Lobo said he hadn’t taken it seriously until this year, when he witnessed first-hand the reality of climate change through the unusual disasters that struck, including coastal floods, never-before-seen diseases like a persistent corn fungus, and untimely hailstorms.

Another subject that was brought up was on preventive projects to safeguard people in vulnerable areas before disasters would force them to adapt. This includes building new cities with all eco-friendly facilities for the safe migration of those at risk.

Norbert Röttgen, Minister of Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety, Germany (M): Here in Cancún, we need to prove that we are resolved and capable of acting multi-laterally. And we need to do so because climate change can only be addressed together.

VOICE: We appreciate all decision makers present for your united concern in addressing climate change for the benefit of all people. May such constructive efforts as these pave the way for wise and effective measures,including policies that herald the planet-cooling benefits of organic vegan fare.