“The world needs a new framework for climate change”
Bern, 29.09.2015 - New York, 29.09.2015 – Address by SDC Director Manuel Sager on the occasion of the 70th session of the UN General Assembly - (Major Economies Forum, hosted by Secretary of State John F. Kerry) - Check against delivery
Secretary of State,
Dear colleagues,
My country, Switzerland, is known among tourists from all over the world for is majestic mountains, covered with snow and glaciers. If we don’t act now to limit climate change, there is a very high probability that a child born today will experience the disappearance of the last of the Alpine glaciers by end of this century.
Climate change is not only rapidly transforming landscapes; it also is a threat for each of us. Taking effective means against global warming and adapting to the climate challenge is a top priority in the national self-interest.
If we give priority to adaptation only, we will fail: the costs of adapting to a temperature increase of 6 or 8 degrees or even more are simply too high – not only for those living in coastal regions, but for all of us. We urgently need a strengthened international framework for climate change. As agreed in Durban, this framework will have legal force and be applicable to all, not only to a few. And it must ensure ambitious global action to keep the global temperature increase below 2° Celsius.
Switzerland is doing a lot. It met its commitment under the first Kyoto period and it will meet its commitment under the second Kyoto period . Switzerland’s energy mix is to a large extent CO2-free. The country has introduced a national emissions trading scheme, a CO2 levy on combustible fuels, an ambitious buildings programme and stringent requirements for passenger vehicle emissions. However: it is clear, in order to keep the global temperature rise under 2° Celsius, that more must be done, and Switzerland will have to bring its per capita emissions down to net zero tons. However, it is not enough for Switzerland, who is responsible for only 0.1% of global emissions, to act alone. We need the assurance that all countries and especially the biggest emitters will also act. And this is the reason why we need a global legally binding agreement applicable to all.
The MEF is an important forum of key actors in the climate-debate to discuss the adequacy of measures to counter climate change. The engagement of the countries represented in this room is crucial for finding a solution to the climate challenge.
Dear colleagues,
Today’s climate regime and climate actions are inadequate. Certainly, we have already achieved a lot. But there is more work ahead and more political will needed. We all have to make sure that the negotiations for the new instrument for the post 2020-period will deliver a successful outcome this December in Paris. We all have an interest in it. We therefore have to find convergence on the key priorities. Here are Switzerland’s three key priorities:
- First, the new instrument has to involve all countries; most importantly all major emitters. A climate regime without the major global emitters cannot be effective.
- Second, the new instrument has to be fair, reflect our common but differentiated responsibilities and aim at overcoming the divide of the last millennium. It is neither equitable nor effective if some of the biggest emitters are less committed than some of the smallest.
- Third, the new instrument has to establish a dynamic framework: today’s ambition is not sufficient to set us on the pathway to two degrees or below. We all know that the ambition formulated in “intended nationally determined contributions” which we will agree in Paris later this year will not be sufficient. We must not bind ourselves by inadequate, unambitious goals. We have to establish a framework that is dynamic and that brings us step by step up to the level of ambition required, an ambition that each of us should have.
Switzerland is committed to finding a solution based on these three key elements. This we owe to coming generations. We must make sure that a child born today will not see the Alpine glaciers disappear.
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