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UNITED NATIONS GENERAL ASSEMBLY: SECOND COMMITTEE
31 October 2011

Sustainable Development

Statement by Mr Kelvin Thomson MP
Member of Parliament
of Australia

 

Mr Chair,
 

In his address to the United Nations General Assembly last month, Secretary General Ban Ki-moon described sustainable development as the imperative of our century.
 

As the Secretary-General stated, saving our planet, lifting people out of poverty and advancing economic growth are one and the same challenge. Through our collective actions we have made some progress. Yet, there is still a long way to go.
Almost twenty years ago, the Earth Summit led to the conventions on climate change, biodiversity and desertification. As we approach Rio+20, the UN Conference on Sustainable Development in 2012, it has become clearer that many of the challenges that we, humanity, and our planet face require solutions that can only be achieved at the global level.
 

Mr Chair
 

Rio+20 is a crucial and timely opportunity to find ways to set the world on a more sustainable course and to decide on practical outcomes that integrate the three pillars or dimensions of sustainable development –economic, social and environmental.
 

We must focus our energies on developing practical initiatives supported by a strong and flexible institutional framework. This framework will need to respond to new and emerging challenges, implement existing commitments and enable research, innovation and cooperation.
 

The Rio+20 conference must also overcome the divides between developed and developing countries. It must deliver initiatives which empower the most vulnerable to participate in the solutions. All countries, developed and developing, must co-operate if we are to achieve global sustainable development.
 

CANZ looks forward to continuing our participation in the preparations for Rio+20. While we have important work ahead of us in the Second Committee, we also think it is important to avoid prejudging the outcomes of the dedicated Rio +20 preparatory process - a process that was set in motion by this committee.
 

Mr Chair
 

Hundreds of millions of people rely on the marine and coastal environment for food, livelihoods, ecosystem services, recreation and economic opportunities. World fisheries support 170 million jobs and more than 1.5 billion people rely on marine resources for their protein intake. Coral reefs and related ecosystems are essential for sustainable livelihoods and development around the globe. They provide protection from storms, tsunamis and coastal erosion and contribute to the cultural and aesthetic richness of communities.
 

However, the world’s oceans are increasingly under pressure from threats such as climate change, ocean acidification, overfishing, biodiversity loss, habitat loss and pollution. Key ecosystems such as coral reefs may soon reach critical thresholds, disproportionately impacting the people and communities that are most vulnerable, such as small island and coastal developing countries. The Secretary-General’s report on Coral Reefs predicts that coral reef degradation would lead to loss of income in the Caribbean of $300 million by 2015. 90 per cent of coral reefs will be threatened by 2030 and all coral reefs by 2050 if no protective action is taken.
 

These are grave forecasts. It is essential that we recognise marine and coral reef conservation and management as an urgent sustainable development priority.
 

Pacific Island states are promoting the ‘blue economy’ as a focus for Rio+20. Canada, Australia and New Zealand support a ‘blue economy’ approach that recognises that marine resources and ecosystems are a foundation for sustainable development for many countries, particularly small island developing states. As Pacific Ocean countries ourselves, we support the need for Rio+20 to recognise the importance of practical actions to improve conservation and management of marine resources and ecosystems. This would be a contribution to food security, livelihoods, economic opportunity, conservation, climate change resilience and natural disaster mitigation.
 

Mr Chair
 

The UN climate conference in Durban at the end of this year provides the opportunity to take concrete steps toward the new global climate regime, one capable of avoiding dangerous climate change, by advancing and implementing the Cancun Agreements.
 

As we make the transition toward the new global climate regime, which needs to include legally binding mitigation commitments by all major economies, we note that 90 countries, representing more than 80% of global emissions, including all major economies, have pledged to reduce emissions. We welcome this global action to combat climate change. We also note the fast-start financing pledges, which will likely exceed $30 billion by the end of 2012, are already flowing to provide much-needed mitigation and adaptation support to developing countries.
 

Australia is serious about taking action at home. Australia’s Clean Energy Future Package, including a price on carbon, shows that it is playing its full and fair part in global efforts to reduce emissions. Canada is committed to reducing its emissions by 17% by 2020 and is pursuing systematic sector by sector regulations to accomplish this goal, including the development of measures to address all major sources of emissions. New Zealand is the first country outside Europe to have successfully implemented an emissions trading scheme. New Zealand electricity generation from renewable sources was 74% in 2010. It is on track to meet the government’s target of 90% renewable electricity generation by 2025.
 

Australia, Canada, New Zealand know well that the world’s prosperity depends on global progress towards a more sustainable future. We acknowledge and congratulate those who are putting sustainable development firmly on international and national agendas.

CANZ is ready to work with all countries to help build a consensus and a path forward, as we consider the sustainable development agenda for the next 20 years.