Alliance of Small Island States (AOSIS)
10th OWG Sustainable Development Goals Cluster on Climate
Ambassador Marlene Moses, Permanent Representative of the Mission of Nauru to the
United Nations
Chair of Alliance of Small Island States
3 April 2014
Check against Delivery
Distinguished co-chairs,
I have the honor to deliver this statement on behalf of the Alliance of Small Island
States.
We align ourselves with the statement made by Bolivia on behalf of the G77 & China.
Co-chairs,
Climate change is the single greatest factor undermining the sustainable development
of SIDS and as long as SIDS continue to face the persistent and ever growing threats
from climate change, we cannot achieve our poverty eradication and sustainable
development objectives.
This notion was well captured in the Rio+20 outcome, which stated that:
Sea-level rise and other adverse impacts of climate change continue to pose a
significant risk to small island developing States and their efforts to achieve sustainable
development and, for many, represent the gravest of threats to their survival and
viability, including for some through the loss of territory.
However, we fully recognize that protection of the global climate system is also
essential to sustainable development and the eradication of poverty in all developing
countries. The Human Development Report of 2013 reported that environmental
inaction, especially regarding climate change, has the potential to halt or even reverse
human development progress in the world’s poorest countries and communities. The
number of people in extreme poverty could increase by up to three billion by 2050
unless environmental disasters are averted by coordinated global action.
Thus, it is clear that we need to take urgent action on climate change to provide us with
the chance of achieving our poverty eradication and sustainable development
objectives. The question is, how can we best achieve this goal through the SDG
process?
To address this question, we can turn back to the language from the Rio+20 outcome
which acknowledges that climate change is a cross-cutting and persistent
crisis that affects all countries and undermine the ability of all countries, in particular,
developing countries, to achieve sustainable development.
Accordingly, we support the treatment of climate change as cross-cutting issue under
the SDGs with specific climate change targets and indicators developed as appropriate
for each SDG.
We propose the following climate change targets for consideration. We suggest that
these targets be placed under one or more of the SDGs once we have finalized the
goals:
Target 1. Build resilience and adaptive capacity against the adverse impact of
climate change and natural disaster in all countries, particularly the vulnerable
countries.
Target 2. Close the pre 2020 mitigation gap to put the world on a path of achieving a
goal of stabilizing temperature increase to below 1.5 degrees Celsius.
Target 3. Promote economic incentives for investments in low-carbon solutions.
Target 4. Increase investment in education and mass awareness on climate
change.
Target 5. Protect marine and terrestrial carbon sink and coral reefs to ensure their
climate and disaster reduction roles.
Target 6 Scaling up by two-fold investment in safe and clean renewable energy and
infrastructure for developing countries, particularly those in special situation.
Target 7. Development and implementation of comprehensive risk management
tools and facilities in all countries, particularly in vulnerable developing countries, such
as LDCs and SIDS.
Target 8. World is on track not to exceed global warming of 1.5 degrees Celsius
compared to pre-industrial temperatures.
Target 9. Increase the rate of investment in environmentally friendly infrastructure
that strengthens the resilience and security of all countries, particularly the most
vulnerable including SIDS, against the adverse impact of climate change and natural
disasters.
I thank you.
Ambassador Marlene Moses, Permanent Representative of the Mission of Nauru to the
United Nations
Chair of Alliance of Small Island States
3 April 2014
Check against Delivery
Distinguished co-chairs,
I have the honor to deliver this statement on behalf of the Alliance of Small Island
States.
We align ourselves with the statement made by Bolivia on behalf of the G77 & China.
Co-chairs,
Climate change is the single greatest factor undermining the sustainable development
of SIDS and as long as SIDS continue to face the persistent and ever growing threats
from climate change, we cannot achieve our poverty eradication and sustainable
development objectives.
This notion was well captured in the Rio+20 outcome, which stated that:
Sea-level rise and other adverse impacts of climate change continue to pose a
significant risk to small island developing States and their efforts to achieve sustainable
development and, for many, represent the gravest of threats to their survival and
viability, including for some through the loss of territory.
However, we fully recognize that protection of the global climate system is also
essential to sustainable development and the eradication of poverty in all developing
countries. The Human Development Report of 2013 reported that environmental
inaction, especially regarding climate change, has the potential to halt or even reverse
human development progress in the world’s poorest countries and communities. The
number of people in extreme poverty could increase by up to three billion by 2050
unless environmental disasters are averted by coordinated global action.
Thus, it is clear that we need to take urgent action on climate change to provide us with
the chance of achieving our poverty eradication and sustainable development
objectives. The question is, how can we best achieve this goal through the SDG
process?
To address this question, we can turn back to the language from the Rio+20 outcome
which acknowledges that climate change is a cross-cutting and persistent
crisis that affects all countries and undermine the ability of all countries, in particular,
developing countries, to achieve sustainable development.
Accordingly, we support the treatment of climate change as cross-cutting issue under
the SDGs with specific climate change targets and indicators developed as appropriate
for each SDG.
We propose the following climate change targets for consideration. We suggest that
these targets be placed under one or more of the SDGs once we have finalized the
goals:
Target 1. Build resilience and adaptive capacity against the adverse impact of
climate change and natural disaster in all countries, particularly the vulnerable
countries.
Target 2. Close the pre 2020 mitigation gap to put the world on a path of achieving a
goal of stabilizing temperature increase to below 1.5 degrees Celsius.
Target 3. Promote economic incentives for investments in low-carbon solutions.
Target 4. Increase investment in education and mass awareness on climate
change.
Target 5. Protect marine and terrestrial carbon sink and coral reefs to ensure their
climate and disaster reduction roles.
Target 6 Scaling up by two-fold investment in safe and clean renewable energy and
infrastructure for developing countries, particularly those in special situation.
Target 7. Development and implementation of comprehensive risk management
tools and facilities in all countries, particularly in vulnerable developing countries, such
as LDCs and SIDS.
Target 8. World is on track not to exceed global warming of 1.5 degrees Celsius
compared to pre-industrial temperatures.
Target 9. Increase the rate of investment in environmentally friendly infrastructure
that strengthens the resilience and security of all countries, particularly the most
vulnerable including SIDS, against the adverse impact of climate change and natural
disasters.
I thank you.