Openingstoespraak Enriching the Planet, Empowering Europe

Toespraak | 27-04-2010

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Ladies and gentlemen,

The power of nature and the fragility of man were once again made clear with the eruption of the volcano on Iceland and the closure of Europe’s airspace. It reminded us of man’s modest place in the scheme of things. It confronted us with our vulnerability.

In short, ladies and gentlemen: the planet can do without us, we cannot do without our planet and it’s resources. Obviously we cannot control the whims of mother nature, we can however influence our own impact on the environment. Climate change, the loss of biodiversity and the scarcity of resources are all challenges we can tackle.

On a national level, The Netherlands has developed the so-called Delta programme: An extensive number of projects that will make our country 2050-proof, so to speak. We have set up a special Delta fund to finance these projects. We need to protect our country against rising waters, reduce our energy consumption and transform our economy from fossil fuel based to sustainable. The Netherlands shares its know-how with other delta nations such as Vietnam, Bangladesh, Egypt, Indonesia and Mozambique. Sharing know-how and experience is of paramount importance in meeting the challenges we face.

In 40 years’ time nine billion people will inhabit our planet. Nine billion people demanding clean water, energy and land to grow crops for food. Although there are uncertainties, of one thing we are certain: the demand for energy and water will explode. Conservative estimates predict that in 2050 we shall need the current total global amount of energy we consume just to meet the demand for rare metals. And we shall need the total current global amount of water we consume for water treatment alone.

Future claims on resources demand a paradigm shift. We need to take action at the national, European and global level. We need to innovate. We need to cooperate. We need the courage to make tough decisions.
Not only in The Netherlands and Europe but elsewhere, people are aware we need to make this transition. But we need to speed things up. Time is our scarcest commodity. If we are to make the 2050 deadline, we need to start today. The changes we need to make take time.

The European Union is vulnerable because of its dependence on others for a lot of resources. Oil, gas, neodymium for electric motors, phosphates for fertilisers are just a few examples of important fossil fuels and minerals we are dependant on from others. In addition to this our current transitional technology increases pressure on rare metals and minerals.

This is a fragile state of affairs. Thanks to our prosperity, our single market, our technological know-how and our ability to innovate, the European Union can meet the challenges of climate change and loss of biodiversity. Now the matter of our dwindling resources requires an answer. The Dutch government is therefore very pleased to be hosting this conference. As the coordinating minister for sustainable development in The Netherlands I am grateful to you for coming here today.

It is inspiring to see so many senior experts, scientists and policymakers under one roof, ready to share their knowledge.

Yesterday I spoke to European Commissioner Janez Potočnik. He too is anxious to hear the results of this conference and is committed to doing everything he can. Commissioner Potočnik will join forces with EU member states to achieve the 2020 strategy on natural resources.

Ladies and gentlemen,

If necessity is the mother of invention then let scarcity be the mother of innovation. It is essential that we share our technologies and experience as we shape our world so it can sustain nine billion people. Let’s start today. You will hear many prominent speakers at this conference.

I know you will enjoy today’s speeches and discussions.

I hope they will fill you with inspiration.

Thank you.