Ávarp utanríkisráðherra um loftslagsmál

The Future in our Hands: Addressing the Leadership

Challenge of Climate Change

UN Headquarters, New York, 24 September 2007

Thematic Plenary II - Mitigation

Distinguished Co-Chairs,
Your Excellencies,
Ladies and gentlemen

Iceland pledges full political support to our common goal of halting global-warming. We welcome Secretary General Ban Ki-Moons initiative and stress the necessity of addressing the challenge of global warming within the framework of the United Nations. No other forum is more likely to provide the universal political mandate necessary. We must give political leadership.

Global warming is a fact. We have to face it and adapt to it at every level; personal, national, regional and global. At the same time we must use every available technology and resource to mitigate its effects. It will be costly, but it is a price we cannot avoid paying. If we do not act now the price will only rise. This cost, however, can also become an investment in the future and it can open up a whole new world of economic opportunities.

There is no single "one-size-fits-all" solution available to the task of mitigation. We must instead, construct a toolbox of multiple approaches through technological innovation and transfer of knowledge. We must take better care of soil conservation and increase carbon sequestration. We believe there are many synergies between combating climate change, strengthening biodiversity and halting desertification.

One important method of mitigation is tied to the task of adaptation; changing from carbon-emitting energy and technology to renewable sources. Development of renewable energy is one of the most pressing tasks. We should be careful that the development of biomass-based fuel to lead to an increase in food prices and therefore become a cause of hunger. We must secure proper mechanisms and support to developing countries so that they can harness renewable energy resources.

To advance the development of new technology we must encourage private investments in new solutions. We must make the private sector a powerful ally of governments in spreading climate-friendly technology and best practices.

We must also be creative in finding solutions through use of carbon markets to cap emissions and transfer technology. This can also be useful to help adaptation in many of the most vulnerable areas of the world.

We should strive towards a workable universal agreement with the UN system. We cannot allow priorities set unilaterally by the large and powerful states only, to set the political agenda. The issue concerns all humanity. Our responsibility is to prioritize the needs and interests of those peoples who will be worst hit by climate change in coming decades. Although we welcome the initiative of the G8 or the Unites States or anyone else we stress that all negotiations of the implementation remain transparent and open to the participation of all nations.

The forum of a new global agreement must continue to be the existing UN Framework Convention on Climate Change. Political talks at other venues can boost progress at the Convention but must not distract the focus from the discussion already underway there.

Whatever the regime agreed on after 2012, it must be based on the Framework Convention and preserve the key premises of the Kyoto Protocol that have proven useful; notably time bound targets on emissions reductions and continued international trade with carbon quotas. But the agreement will of course have to be sufficiently flexible to allow for the participation of the large rapidly developing G77 countries, as well as the United States and Australia. Success in addressing the chemical threat to the ozone layer with the Montreal Protocol 20 years ago could well be an encouragement.

Distinguished co-chairs

We have no other option but to instruct our representatives at the Bali Conference in December, to stake out a future course, based on a shared vision and shared responsibility and maintaining the objectives of the Millennium Development Goals. Let us also do our utmost to ensure the Copenhagen Summit in 2009 delivers an ambitious agreement on a time bound target and a plan to mitigate climate change.

Thank you, Mr./Madam Co-Chair