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Remarks by U.S. Ambassador James F. Moriarty Workshop on “Global Climate Change and Carbon Financing: Opportunities for Bangladesh” | October 28, 2009 | | | Assalamu alaykum.
Friends and colleagues; Good afternoon.
Thank you for inviting me to join this discussion about global climate change and how Bangladesh can take advantage of carbon financing. Clearly, the threat from climate change is serious, urgent, and growing.
In our carbon-constrained world today, emissions of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases (GHGs) carry a price which can be quantified and traded. Bangladesh could use carbon financing to invest in greenhouse gas emission reduction projects to support the conservation and co-management of Protected Areas and other natural resources in the country. I hope today’s workshop will inspire creative ideas on how to reduce emissions, increase adaptation and improve land use, while at the same time, alleviating poverty and conserving biodiversity.
The United States is working to reduce the threat of global climate change. Recently, the U.S. Congress passed, and President Obama ratified into law, the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, which will invest $80 billion in clean energy. This Act, the U.S. will advance energy and climate security and will promote economic recovery, accelerate job creation, and drive clean energy manufacturing.
The American Clean Energy and Security Act of 2009, which is pending final approval in Congress, would cut U.S. carbon emissions from 2005 levels by 17% by 2020 and by 83% by 2050. In addition, the U.S. has substantially increased automobile fuel-efficiency standards, and there are new incentives for conservation.
The U.S. recognizes that while strong domestic action is necessary, it would not be sufficient to reduce carbon emissions. This is a crisis that demands a global solution. Over 80% of future greenhouse gas emissions will come from developing countries. We will support other nations as they adapt to the problems that climate change causes while helping them travel a path of clean development.
As part of a series of activities to improve the environment, the U.S. Government is working with other donors to help restore thousands of hectares of forest land in Bangladesh. We will collaborate on other ways to decrease carbon emissions in the region. We work in partnership with the Government of Bangladesh and local communities in 26 major wetlands and forest protected areas. We also work in numerous smaller ecologically-important freshwater wetlands throughout the country.
U.S.-funded activities help improve natural resource management through collaboration with local communities and the government. These initiatives will help restore degraded areas, raise awareness through public education, and create alternative income opportunities for thousands of people who live in and around forests and wetlands. Carbon financing can be a new and innovative source of sustainable support for the conservation and co-management of this national network of Protected Areas including important wetlands, forests and coastal areas.
The U.S. Government will continue its productive working relationship with the Ministry of Environment and Forests and the Ministry of Fisheries and Livestock. We are encouraged by the steadily growing commitment to action. World leaders and the leadership of Bangladesh are committed to mobilizing additional resources to address climate change, including by adjusting and adapting existing programs. Plans call for managing emissions, reducing vulnerability, and increasing adaptation to the effects of climate change.
The United States encourages developing countries to create low-carbon development plans. We know that without emissions reductions by both developed and emerging economies no solution to climate change is possible. Moving to a clean energy economy and achieving a strong international climate change agreement is in the best interest of the U.S., Bangladesh, and the world.
The U.S. supports the fundamental right of nations to develop. We believe sustainable development future is only possible through a low-carbon pathway. As President Obama said at the UN Climate Change Summit this September, “No nation, however large or small, wealthy or poor, can escape the impact of climate change. Rising sea levels threaten every coastline. More powerful storms and floods threaten every continent. More frequent droughts and crop failures breed hunger and conflict in places where hunger and conflict already thrive…The security and stability of each nation and all peoples - - our prosperity, our health and our safety – are in jeopardy.”
I am confident that with the support of the USAID-funded Integrated Protected Area Co-management (IPAC) project, the U.S. Forest Service, the European Commission - funded Sundarbans Environment and Livelihood Security (SEALS) project, and others, the Government of Bangladesh and local communities will make excellent progress in the months ahead. New sources of carbon financing will contribute to the world’s efforts to mitigate and adapt to climate change.
I wish you every success and pledge our whole hearted support for your efforts. Thank you. |
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