Ministerial Roundtable on bridging the water and climate agenda
Alleen de uitgesproken tekst geldt.
Your Excellencies, dear colleagues, Ladies and Gentlemen,
Let me first express my thanks to my co-chair Mr.Ramesh Chandra Sen for his opening statement.
Today we should have an open discussion. We are all aware that we are not negotiating a statement. But I call up on you to express your views on how to proceed on the important issue of climate and adaptation in this roundtable.
We know that climate change will affect our safety, our environment, our prosperity and our economy in the long term. But we do not know how fast the effects of climate change will take place.
This means that, alongside mitigation, we in the Netherlands are focusing strongly on adaptation. We need to adapt now! We need to face the facts, think ahead and prepare ourselves for the future. Not only in NL but worldwide.
We all should realize that water plays a crucial role in the discussion on adaptation. There is a strong relation to other sectors like agriculture, energy and physical planning. Without cross-sectoral cooperation we do not meet our development goals.
Since we have to deal with uncertainties
I think that adaptation requires flexibility. We have to think far ahead but we have to start today and to proceed step by step.
This is my view, what is yours?
I invite you to express whether you can underline this approach of adaptation?
Ladies and gentlemen, climate change affects us all. We strongly need each other. My policy is to work in close cooperation with other regions, especially the delta countries, to exchange knowledge and share experiences. In the same way cooperation is needed for other vulnerable regions like mountain areas and small islands. Each of us can contribute and we all can learn from each other.
We learnt during this WWF that a lot is going on already. There is a wealth of experience available and we want to encourage the continuation and intensification of the already started experiences
As a second question for the discussion I would like to hear your views on how to optimise and intensify this process of knowledge sharing.
I must confess that I am a little disappointed by the content of the draft text of the Ministerial Statement. I would have preferred to have more attention for the issue of adaptation & water. But we are not talking about that text today.
I am pleased that during the discussion yesterday I noticed a general consensus on three important points.
· Climate change will impact us through water in the future (Hobbs)
· The water family should join forces with the climate family (Borloo)
· COP 15 should address the issue of adaptation, especially the issue of water (Borloo).
We know there are several important stepping-stones on our way to Copenhagen. Where should we act? How can we influence the negotiators in that process as effectively as possible?
As a third element in the discussion I like to hear your views on how you think we should move from Istanbul to Copenhagen.
Ladies and Gentleman,
I look forward to hear your opinions. Lets try to come to a strong message to the Ministerial meeting of tomorrow.