We need a global climate agreement
As chair of the Arctic Council, Norwegian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr. Jonas Gahr Støre, spoke at the celebration of the Antarctic Treaty's 50 years anniversary.
."The polar regions are the world's largest wilderness areas. Their environmental value is immeasurable. Their natural riches are immense. So too are the challenges they are facing. The Antarctic and the Arctic are far away from industrialised areas, but are nonetheless threatened by our modern society - by us. Today we know that some of the fastest and largest climate changes are taking place in the polar regions, and that our ability to understand the deeper meaning and implications of this knowledge may determine whether humanity will be able to cope with the challenges of global warming."
Last week the 50 years anniversary of the Antarctic Treaty was celebrated in Washington D.C. On behalf of the Arctic Council, Norwegian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr. Jonas Gahr Støre spoke and underlined the need of a global climate agreement now:
"Climate change is a vital area of cooperation in the Arctic Council, particularly following the groundbreaking 2004 Arctic Climate Impact Assessment. The next Arctic Council ministerial meeting will take place in Tromsø in Norway on 29 April. The day before, former Vice President Al Gore and I will co-chair a special ministerial meeting on global ice melting. Our purpose is to issue yet another call for concerted action in the run-up to Copenhagen.
The ice is melting not only in the polar regions, but also in most other ice-covered areas of the world, and affecting ecosystems. This is also about the Himalayas, the Andes and even Kilimanjaro. Take the billions who depend on stable access to water from the Himalayas. Now they may be heading for decades of flooding and then an eternity of drought.
We also need to place climate change higher on the agenda of the Antarctic Treaty cooperation. The parties should consider the status and impacts of climate change in Antarctica, the consequences for Antarctic governance and how to communicate new knowledge to the world. I would propose that the Antarctic Treaty Consultative Meeting decide to convene a Meeting of Experts on climate change before the next Consultative Meeting in 2010."