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STATEMENT BY |
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Mr. President,
Excellencies,
Distinguished Delegates,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
1. I would like to express my sincere appreciation to His Excellency Prime Minister Rasmussen and the Government of Denmark for hosting this momentous conference in the city of Copenhagen. As a country that is seriously concerned with climate change and one that has been critically affected by incidents caused by this global phenomenon, Thailand is anxious to be here.
2. Climate change is not a problem of any particular country. All of us are fighting the same battle. We should realise the great sense of urgency in combating climate change, and we need to work hand-in-hand to mitigate its devastating effects before it is too late. Gone should be the day of indifference and inaction, and so should be the blaming game and shifting of responsibility.
3. At the same time, given the differences that exist, our approach to this problem must essentially be guided by the common but differentiated responsibility, historical responsibility and other relevant principles such as nationally appropriate mitigation actions. And more importantly, for developing countries, the effort to combat climate change should not hinder their developmental process including the attainment of the Millennium Development Goals and their struggle for a better life - one free from hunger and poverty. Additionally, restrictions on, or any form of barrier to, trade and investment, in particular against developing countries, should not be imposed on the basis of anti-climate change effort.
Mr. President,
4. Thailand is a leading exporter of rice and other agricultural products world-wide. But with the continuing change of the global climatic patterns and the expected rise of the global food demand of more than 50 percent by 2050, climate change could undermine our ability to contribute to food security for the world population.
5. In this regard, Thailand has developed National Organic Agriculture Programme to reduce chemical usage. This programme was designed to ensure that we can maintain our productivity level while, at the same time, sustainable agriculture. This is only part of our fervent efforts to mitigate the impact of climate change.
6. In a broader picture, we have incorporated the issue of climate change into our development and planning process, notably in the National Economic and Social Development Plans, for the periods 2007-2011 and 2012-2016 respectively. These plans aim to move our economy towards a new growth model -- "a low carbon economy" -- by restructuring the production sector towards low carbon, promoting green transportation and logistics, restructuring agricultural sector to promote sustainable and organic agriculture, as well as changing the pattern of public consumption towards more environmentally-friendly products.
7. Moreover, Thailand is implementing the "15-year National Alternative Energy Development Plan (2008-2022)," which aims to increase the share of alternative energy to 20 % of final energy consumption in the country by the year 2022. Accordingly, the green house gasses emission will be substantially reduced from alternative energy and from more efficient use of energy as a whole.
8. In addition, to increase our carbon sink, Thailand has set the ambitious target to increase the national forest cover from 30 % in 2006 up to 40% by 2020. At present, we have 228 protected areas and planned to establish more in the future. The constant effort on forest conservation and protection as well as reforestation programmes through action and implementation plan by promoting people participation is one of the key successes in our efforts to reach our target.
Mr. President,
9. Thailand recognises full well that our individual efforts alone may not be enough to combat climate change. As Chair of ASEAN -- an organisation comprising 10 nations in Southeast Asia -- this year Thailand has promoted region-wide awareness and collective action. At the 15th ASEAN Summit held in October, we issued a Joint Statement on COP 15 of the UNFCCC and CMP 5 of the Kyoto Protocol. And last month, Thailand hosted a special meeting of ASEAN environmental ministers, resulting in the issuance of the Recommended ASEAN Common Understanding. Moreover, the ASEAN Working Group on Climate Change has recently been established. And activities under the ASEAN Transboundary Haze Agreement, including forest fire protection, have also contributed to the mitigation of the impacts of climate change.
10. ASEAN supports the global effort to address climate change. Appropriate policies and measures to address climate change should be based on our national circumstances as well as the principle of common but differentiated responsibilities and respective capabilities. ASEAN countries have already taken measures to reduce our emission growth even though we have only a small share of historical responsibility. In this regard, ASEAN urges the developed countries to take deeper and earlier cuts on their emissions to enhance the implementation of their commitments, as these countries have historical responsibility, economic strength and capabilities especially in terms of technology to do so.
11. But due to the limitations that each ASEAN member country has in its efforts to curb climate change, it is important that developed countries assist developing countries with necessary funding and technology transfer. The effectiveness of how the developing countries could do their part in combating climate change depends inevitably on supports from the developed ones. In this regard, ASEAN also supports the position of G77 and China and the group of LDCs for developed countries to make available financing of up to 0.5 - 1 percent of their GNP in addition to the ODA. The funding should be made readily available to and accessible by developing countries, especially the least developed and most vulnerable countries.
12. Moreover, the institutional arrangements to support financing, technology transfer and capacity building shall enable direct access to funding by recipients, operate under the authority and guidance of, and be fully accountable to, the Conference of Parties. The governance and institutional arrangements should also ensure recipient country involvement during the stages of identification, design and implementation, to make it truly country driven.
Mr. President,
13. We have spent two years from Bali to Bonn, to Bangkok and to Barcelona before we arrive here in Copenhagen. We are at the end of our comprehensive roadmap.
14. We have to make sure that we are able to reach a deal right here, right now. We do not have time to waste. I believe that with the strongest of will expressed by the leaders and delegates who are here we can make it happen. This Copenhagen Conference must not be remembered as a moment when we fail our planet but one when we demonstrate our commitments and responsibilities for its future. Failing to reach an agreement here is neither an option nor a luxury that we can afford.
15. I know that we still have differences to overcome before a deal can be reached. But this Conference should lead to more countries be willing to announce their targets for emission reduction. Developing countries are reluctant to announce ambitious targets because they are afraid that such targets would become the basis for commitment which will have negative implications for the level of development, trade and investment programmes, as well as poverty alleviation efforts. If we can make sure that this is not the case, I am sure we will be able to see more targets being announced by the developing countries in the very near future.
16. Let me end, Mr. President, by reminding us that this year we have faced a global recession - possibly the worst in 80 years. With the swift and concerted action as well as the synergy in policies around the world, we have shown that together we can overcome this great challenge. The global economy is now looking up and is recovering faster than was originally thought. We can use this lesson to inspire us all. Let us work together to write a new chapter of our history for a better future of our planet and for our children.
17. Thank you Mr. President.