CLIMATE CHANGE
SOLUTIONS SHALL BE BASED ON SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT APPROACHES
– SHRI T.R.BAALU
DEVELOPED
COUNTRIES URGED TO BRING KYOTO PROTOCOL INTO FORCE
The United Nations
Conference on Climate Change (COP-8) which began here today will
come out with Delhi Declaration on mitigation of climate change
through sustainable development approaches. This was stated by
the Environment and Forests Minister, Shri T.R.Baalu after inaugurating
the 10-day conference. Shri Baalu was elected as the President
of the United Nations Conference on Climate Change. In his inaugural
address Shri Baalu said that climate change and sustainable development
are inter-linked and it was necessary to focus on poverty, land
degradation, access to water and food and human health to effectively
address to climate change concerns. Given the central role of
energy in reducing poverty, innovative technologies in energy
sector were required, said the Minister.
Shri Baalu said that
COP-8 could become a milestone for implementation and promotion
of sustainable development to address climate change. Stating
that the developing countries are the most vulnerable to adverse
consequence of climate change, he emphasised the need for giving
higher priority to adaptation to climate change so as to enable
them withstand the ill effects of climate change, Shri Baalu said
climate change could reduce the global yield of major food crops
worsening the poverty. Frequent floods and droughts are already
having serious impacts in various parts of the world, he said.
Shri Baalu urged
the conference to address to the problems of marginal farmers,
the fishermen, small livestock owners and others including the
indigenous communities and find appropriate solutions to the causes
and consequences of climate change. He urged the participants
from various countries to bear in mind the ethical and moral dimensions
of the global problem of climate change. He further observed that
metropolitan mindset should not be allowed to come in the way
of addressing the concerns of the most vulnerable communities
and countries.
Shri Baalu, the President
of COP-8, urged the developed countries to bring the Kyoto Protocol
on reduction of greenhouse gas emissions into force at the earliest.
He said that developed countries have to demonstrate their lead
role in mitigating climate change. He said the Delhi Declaration
to be adopted at the end of the 10-day conference will be based
on consensus. The Climate Change Conference will identify solutions,
generate awareness and enhance actions at all levels to respond
to the problem of climate change, he observed.
