G20 Foundation Publications Australia 2014 | Page 72
72
C L I M AT E C H A N G E & S U S TA I N A B I L I T Y
C L I M AT E C H A N G E & S U S TA I N A B I L I T Y
Looking to the
G20 for climate
leadership
For those of us on the frontlines of the rising
threats posed by climate change, there is no
group of countries we look to more for climate
leadership than the G20
Tony de Brum, Minister of
Foreign Affairs of the Republic
of the Marshall Islands
Pa Ousman Jarju, Minister of
Environment, Climate Change,
Water Resources, Parks &
Wildlife of The Gambia
The world’s twenty biggest economies
are responsible for 80 per cent of
the carbon emissions that are rapidly
warming our planet. These countries
also have the economic weight and
influence, as well as the responsibility,
to turn the tide and accelerate the
transition to the low-carbon economy.
Thankfully, we have all agreed that
warming must be kept to less than two
degrees Celsius, and the vulnerable
among us want a more ambitious and
precautionary target of 1.5 degrees.
Worryingly, the science is telling us
that we are on the way to four degrees
of warming, a situation that not only
puts the futures of our two countries
in jeopardy, but one which promises to
wreak havoc across the globe.
At the UN Secretary-General’s Climate
Summit in September, we saw a glimmer
of hope. World leaders, company bosses
and 300,000 marchers in Manhattan
stood up and said “enough is enough; this
polluting madness has to stop”. The task
is difficult, but not impossible. And it is in
all of our interests to make it happen.
As we saw during the global financial
crisis of 2008, G20 cooperation and
leadership brings the potential and power
to overcome economic adversity of the
most serious kind. And while this year’s
G20 Leaders’ meeting in Brisbane will
focus on stimulating economic growth,
there is simply no strategy for long-term
prosperity that does not include a suite
of policy measures to limit emissions,
accelerate the deployment of green
technology, and shift investment flows in
favour of a carbon-neutral world by the
middle of the Century. If we do not tackle
climate change, the pursuit of economic
growth will quickly become a quixotic
enterprise, replaced by regional and
global insecurity, climate damage control
and an imperative for some, including our
two countries, to simply survive.
This message is not one driven simply by
environmental zealotry, as some would
have you believe. The world’s scientists
have long warned us of the need to act,
but some of the world’s most prominent
economists and bankers are now singing
from the same song sheet. Henry Paulson,
who as Treasury Secretary helped navigate
the US through the 2008 financial crisis,
recently labelled climate change “the single
biggest risk to the global economy.” And
in a more positive tone, the recent ‘New
Climate Economy’ report confirmed that
climate action and economic growth are
mutually supportive objectives. Put simply,
one cannot happen without the other.
The IPCC has already warned us that we
could wipe more than two percent off
the world’s economy by 2050 if we don’t
quickly change our course. Pollution
in China was linked to more than one
million premature deaths in 2010, wiping
up to 13 per cent off the country’s GDP.
And in New York, the estimated cost of
the Hurricane Sandy clean-up was $50
billion, but a $20 billion investment in
climate-proofed infrastructure would put
the city well on track to protect itself
from future climate emergencies.
The simple lesson is that cost of acting
now is much less than the damage and
loss that would be caused if we do not.
With this in mind, those of us whose
countries are already suffering the
economic, social and even territorial
consequences of a warming world
are concerned that this year’s G20
agenda will largely ignore the trials
and opportunities posed by the climate
change challenge. We hope and trust
that wiser heads will prevail. With just
over one year to go until the deadline
for a new global climate treaty in Paris,
it is time for G20 nations to step up to
the plate again.
Yes, we all need to contribute. The
Marshall Islands and the Gambia are
working to propose their emission
reduction commitments by March 2015,
as we agreed last December in Warsaw.
But our emissions are negligible, and
our cuts will not put a dent in the
problem. We were pleased, therefore,
to hear from China, the US and EU at
the Major Economies Forum meeting
in September that they too intend to
respect this important timeline. We
expect all G20 members to commit to
this timeline as well.
We have seen the power of the G20
when it chooses to lead. Delayed
action allowed the credit bubble to
burst, forcing the world economy into
prolonged recession and recovery. Our
climate will not be so kind. Any further
delay in our efforts to reduce emissions
will put a safe climate future beyond
reach. It is time for us to build the
greatest climate change alliance the
world has ever seen. And the G20 must
be at the heart of that alliance. ■
73