The following is a statement from Mr Mohamed Aslam, the Minister of Environment and housing to the High level segment at the ongoing COP16 negotiations in Cancun, Mexico.
The statement reiterates the need for more political will and leadership from all nations of the world to safeguard the very survival of small island nations. A call for more ambitious targets like 1.5 degrees C and 350 PPM was made and nations urged to anchor the pledges from the Copenhagen accord in a balanced, legally binding framework.
8 December 2010
Your Excellencies, distinguished representatives, ladies
and gentlemen,
Allow me to express my thanks and full support to the Mexican presidency, for overseeing such a well run, open and transparent Conference of the Parties here in Cancun.
Excellencies, distinguished delegates,
Given the short time slot we all have to make our statements here, let me get straight down to business.
There is much talk about numbers here in Cancun. We already know which numbers are necessary to ensure our survival. And we know the numbers necessary for the survival of other small island states, which are threatened by coral bleaching, ocean acidification, saltwater intrusion,coastal erosion and sea level rise. Those numbers are CO2
concentration of 350 ppm and temperature rise well below 1.5C. These numbers are strongly backed by science.