PGR News from the Pacific

Posted 2:47 PM by Luigi

Islands' Fears on Climate, Trade Acknowledged

http://www.reuters.co.uk/newsArticle.jhtml?type=scienceNews&storyID=7331850

By C. Bryson Hull

PORT LOUIS (Reuters) - Small island nations won world recognition of their climate change fears on Friday but failed to persuade the international community to reinstate trade preferences to protect their fragile economies.

Calls for a global early warning system joined the islands' wish-list at a United Nations-led meeting of 37 islands, diplomats and Secretary-General Kofi Annan, after a devastating Asian tsunami killed more than 160,000 people.

Fears of submergence by rising seas and lobbying for trade preferences for fragile island economies was high on the islands' agenda.

Islands did not succeed in persuading the world to return trade preferences to them. The phase-out of trade quotas has left in dire straits undiversified island economies, already hampered by isolation and limited resources.

The strategy adopted on Friday asks islands to take a bigger role in their own development, while donors promised to provide technical assistance and recognize island vulnerability to disaster and trade globalization.

On climate change, the conference urged the international community to further cut emissions of greenhouse gases that are blamed for global warming, as the Kyoto Protocol demands.
Islands, if united, can use the strategy to push their aims at other world bodies, like the World Trade Organization, said Anwarul Chowdhury, the meeting's secretary-general.

"This agenda, to really bear fruit, needs to be pursued in other forums," said Chowdhury, also the top U.N. official for least-developed nations.

Islands worry that rising seas, which a U.N. panel of 2,000 scientists has linked to global warming caused by burned fossil fuels, could submerge them. A minority of scientists dispute the findings as based on erroneous climate models.

Tuvalu, its existence threatened by rising seas, said the strategy lacked any solid pledges to mitigate climate change.

"At least there is still room to move forward," said Enele Sopoaga, the tiny Pacific archipelago's U.N. ambassador.

Some were pleased the islands' position that climate change is happening now was acknowledged.

"Finally, all parties have agreed that climate change is having an effect on (small islands) right now and that we need to put in place policies in place to reverse this," said Gordon Bispham, director of the Barbados-based Caribbean Policy Development Center.

Annan said the islands' position carried more weight now because of an "shift of sympathy" by the international community, after seeing images of tsunami destruction.

"Even those who had been a bit skeptical about the impact of global warming cannot say that they have no idea of the damage water can do," Annan told reporters.

The strategy urges all international bodies, including financial institutions, to pay attention to island needs, but is not specific. There is no timeframe for implementation, either, delegates said. (Additional reporting by Nita Bhalla)



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DIVA-GIS	Monday, January 17, 2005 Posted 2:47 PM by Luigi Islands' Fears on Climate, Trade Acknowledged http://www.reuters.co.uk/newsArticle.jhtml?type=scienceNews&storyID=7331850 By C. Bryson Hull PORT LOUIS (Reuters) - Small island nations won world recognition of their climate change fears on Friday but failed to persuade the international community to reinstate trade preferences to protect their fragile economies. Calls for a global early warning system joined the islands' wish-list at a United Nations-led meeting of 37 islands, diplomats and Secretary-General Kofi Annan, after a devastating Asian tsunami killed more than 160,000 people. Fears of submergence by rising seas and lobbying for trade preferences for fragile island economies was high on the islands' agenda. Islands did not succeed in persuading the world to return trade preferences to them. The phase-out of trade quotas has left in dire straits undiversified island economies, already hampered by isolation and limited resources. The strategy adopted on Friday asks islands to take a bigger role in their own development, while donors promised to provide technical assistance and recognize island vulnerability to disaster and trade globalization. On climate change, the conference urged the international community to further cut emissions of greenhouse gases that are blamed for global warming, as the Kyoto Protocol demands. Islands, if united, can use the strategy to push their aims at other world bodies, like the World Trade Organization, said Anwarul Chowdhury, the meeting's secretary-general. "This agenda, to really bear fruit, needs to be pursued in other forums," said Chowdhury, also the top U.N. official for least-developed nations. Islands worry that rising seas, which a U.N. panel of 2,000 scientists has linked to global warming caused by burned fossil fuels, could submerge them. A minority of scientists dispute the findings as based on erroneous climate models. Tuvalu, its existence threatened by rising seas, said the strategy lacked any solid pledges to mitigate climate change. "At least there is still room to move forward," said Enele Sopoaga, the tiny Pacific archipelago's U.N. ambassador. Some were pleased the islands' position that climate change is happening now was acknowledged. "Finally, all parties have agreed that climate change is having an effect on (small islands) right now and that we need to put in place policies in place to reverse this," said Gordon Bispham, director of the Barbados-based Caribbean Policy Development Center. Annan said the islands' position carried more weight now because of an "shift of sympathy" by the international community, after seeing images of tsunami destruction. "Even those who had been a bit skeptical about the impact of global warming cannot say that they have no idea of the damage water can do," Annan told reporters. The strategy urges all international bodies, including financial institutions, to pay attention to island needs, but is not specific. There is no timeframe for implementation, either, delegates said. (Additional reporting by Nita Bhalla) * Comments: Post a Comment	Archive October 2002 November 2002 December 2002 January 2003 February 2003 March 2003 April 2003 May 2003 June 2003 July 2003 August 2003 September 2003 October 2003 November 2003 December 2003 January 2004 February 2004 March 2004 April 2004 May 2004 June 2004 July 2004 August 2004 September 2004 October 2004 November 2004 December 2004 January 2005 February 2005 March 2005 April 2005 May 2005 June 2005 July 2005 August 2005 September 2005 October 2005 November 2005 December 2005 January 2006 February 2006 March 2006 April 2006 May 2006 June 2006 July 2006 August 2006 September 2006 October 2006 November 2006 December 2006 January 2007 February 2007 March 2007 April 2007 May 2007 June 2007 July 2007 August 2007 September 2007 October 2007 November 2007 December 2007 January 2008 February 2008 March 2008 April 2008 May 2008 June 2008 July 2008 August 2008 September 2008 October 2008 November 2008 December 2008 January 2009 February 2009 March 2009 April 2009 May 2009 June 2009 July 2009 August 2009 September 2009 October 2009 November 2009 January 2010 RSS Feed Alternative feed Contact Tevita Something new: Agrobiodiversity Weblog: For discussions of conservation and sustainable use of the genetic resources of crops, livestock and their wild relatives. 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