MESSAGE ON WORLD ENVIRONMENT DAYPublished: 5.06.2007 |
5 June 2007
Greenhouse gas emissions from human activities are
causing our world to get warmer. Concentrations
of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere are higher
than at any time for the past 600,000 years, and
the rate of increase is accelerating.
The most dramatic evidence of climate change is
found in the Polar Regions. The Arctic is warming
twice as fast as the global average. The extent
and thickness of permanent Arctic sea ice is
diminishing; areas of permafrost, frozen for
centuries, are thawing; and ice caps in Greenland
and the Antarctic are melting faster than anyone
anticipated.
For the people and ecosystems of the Arctic, the
implications are profound. Retreating sea ice is
reducing habitat for vulnerable Arctic species.
The changes will also affect Arctic indigenous
communities who depend on the natural world, not
just for food, but for their cultural identity.
However, this is not just a polar issue. The
theme for World Environment Day 2007 -- “Melting
Ice: A Hot Topic!” -- reflects the impact that
climate change is having in all regions. As sea
levels rise, inhabitants of low-lying islands and
coastal cities throughout the world face
inundation. The world’s insurance companies are
paying out more and more each year to compensate
for extreme weather events. As glaciers retreat,
governments are casting an increasingly anxious
eye at future water supplies. And for the
one-third of the world’s population living in
drylands, especially those in Africa, changing
weather patterns linked to climate change threaten
to exacerbate desertification, drought and food
insecurity.
Society’s dependence on fossil fuels is
jeopardizing social and economic progress and our
future security. Fortunately, there are many
policy and technological options available to
avert the impending crisis, but we need increased
political will to use them. Developed countries
in particular can do more to reduce greenhouse gas
emissions and encourage energy efficiency. They
can also support clean development in fast-growing
economies such as Brazil, China and India, as well
as adaptation measures in those countries that
face the greatest hardships from climate change.
On this World Environment Day, let us recognize
the need to slow the momentum of the dramatic
environmental changes we are seeing at the poles
and around the globe. And let each of us pledge
to do our part to fight climate change. |
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