Press Release No.60/2009

Ambassador Haroon Co-Chairs briefing on Climate change calls on the need for greater commitment, clarity and creativityto break the deadlock over Climate change

UNITED NATIONS, Aug 27, 2009: Ambassador Haroon, Permanent Representative of Pakistan to the United Nations has said the lack of progress in the climate change negotiations and the continuing divisions on some of the key issues only further highlight the need for ever greater commitment, clarity, creativity and resolve to break the logjam

Welcoming Pachauri , Pakistan's U.N. Ambassador Abdullah Hussain Haroon , who co-chaired the briefing, on Wednesday convened in the ECOSOC Chambers said, for a developing country like Pakistan , the twin challenge of ensuring sustained development, while responding effectively to the impact and imperatives of climate change, is particularly daunting. The reason: South Asia is a region worst affected by climate change.

The briefing, convened at the initiative of Pakistan and Sweden , is part of on going efforts to push for action ahead of a major climate change Conference to be held in December in Copenhagen.

He hoped that Secretary-General’s Summit on Climate Change would result in a "very candid and constructive" exchange on the whole range of issues related to the climate change and development debate and the ongoing process of negotiations.

"This we trust should help all sides to better understand each other’s perspectives and contribute to building trust that is so very critical and much needed to move forward in this complex but important process".

The UN’s top climate scientist has warned of more floods, droughts and heat waves, with higher intensity and longer duration, if no action was taken to minimize the worst effects of climate change.

"Action means a substantial reduction in green house gas emissions, "Rajendra Pachauri, Chairman of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), told a briefing held for the UN member states in the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) chamber.

A summit meeting on Climate Change set to take place at UN Headquarters in New York on September 20. In his presentation, Pachauri said climate change was disruption, not a smooth and steady change. "Most vulnerable sections are worst affected. Communities are living under the stresses of deteriorating soil quality and changing precipitation patterns -- on upper latitudes, rainfall levels are increasing and in sub-tropical, tropical and Mediterranean rainfall is decreasing."

"Action is within our means," he said. "The methods that are required are available. One is to place a price on carbon. This will signal to the market and consumers, the desirability to move to a low carbon future. Yet, to develop new methods we would have to produce policies.

"The cost of the change is very low. An increase in temperature to 2°? costs 3% of global GDP of 2030," Pachauri added.