Climate change solutions must also tackle poverty, Indonesian leader tells UN

from E Gov Monitor

The solution to the problems posed by climate change must be linked to sustainable development so that the world’s least affluent countries can conquer poverty, Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono told the United Nations General Assembly yesterday [Sept 25].

Speaking at the annual high-level debate at UN Headquarters in New York, the President said it was important to not lose sight of the fight against poverty when trying to combat climate change.

He said the global summit to be held in Bali, Indonesia, this December “must yield a new roadmap” that spells out what both the developed and developing world must do “to save humankind and its planet from the looming tragedy of climate change.”

The Bali summit seeks to determine future action on mitigation, adaptation, the global carbon market and financing responses to climate change for the period after the expiration of the Kyoto Protocol – the current global framework for reducing greenhouse gas emissions – in 2012.

Mr. Yudhoyono said the summit “must produce an outcome and timeline that will be more comprehensive and more ambitious in achieving its practical objectives to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

“We developing countries must protect our natural resources while using them wisely for development,” he added.

He said he was optimistic that there is now a window of opportunity to strike a global consensus to deal with global warming.

Indonesia also launched a Special Leaders’ Meeting of Tropical Rainforest Countries on Monday and the President said that the participating nations have agreed to strengthen their cooperation so that the forests can be better conserved.

“We also believe that countries that seek to enhance their carbon sinks – through forestation, afforestation, avoided deforestation – should be given incentive and rewarded fairly for doing so.”