Khapi indians of Bolivia |
STATEMENT
BY JOSE ANTONIO ZAMORA GUTIERREZ MINISTER OF ENVIRONMENT AND WATER, OF THE
PLURINATIONAL STATE OF BOLIVIA IN THE UN CONFERENCE OF CLIMATE CHANGE COP18 IN
QATAR
UNIDAD
MADRE TIERRA Y AGUA / MINISTERIO DE RELACIONES EXTERIORES ESTADO PLURINACIONAL
DE BOLIVIA, December 5, 2012
Mr.
President of the COP, distinguished Heads of State of countries of the world,
Ministers, Officials, delegates and representatives of social organizations, indigenous
peoples and communities and farmers of the world, receive a greeting from the
Plurinational State of Bolivia and our President Evo Morales Ayma.
The
planet and humanity are in serious danger of extinction. The forests are in
danger, biodiversity is in danger, the rivers and the oceans are in danger, the
earth is in danger. This beautiful human community inhabiting our Mother Earth
is in danger due to the climate crisis.
The
causes of the climate crisis are directly related to the accumulation and
concentration of wealth in few countries and in small social groups, excessive
and wasteful mass consumption, under the belief that having more is living
better, polluting production and disposable goods to enrich wealth increasing
the ecological footprint, as well as the excessive and unsustainable use of
renewable and non-renewable natural resources at a high environmental cost for
extractive activities for production.
A wasteful, consumerist, exclusionary,
greedy civilization generating wealth in some hands and poverty everywhere, has
produced pollution and climate crisis. We did not come here to negotiate
climate.
We
did not come here to turn the climate into a business, or to protect businesses
of them who want to continue aggravating the climate crisis, destroying Mother
Earth. We have come with concrete solutions. THE CLIMATE IS NOT FOR SALE,
LADIES AND GENTLEMEN! Mr. President, The withdrawal of some developed countries
of the Kyoto protocol and avoiding of their commitments is an attack on the Mother
Earth and to life. The problem of climate crisis will not be solved with
political declarations, but with specific commitments.
We
will not pay the climate debt of developed countries to developing countries.
They, developed countries, must fulfill their responsibility. While some
developed countries do their best to avoid their commitments to solve the
climate crisis, developing countries are making greater efforts to reduce
emissions, and paying the price of a climate crisis and that everyday leaves droughts,
floods, hurricanes, typhoons, etc.
The
climate crisis leaves us poorer, deprives us of food, destroys our economy,
creates insecurity, and creates migration. Climate change will make the poor
poorer. Poor and developing countries have a great challenge: the eradication
of poverty. And we'll have to face a climate crisis for which we are not
guilty. In addition to adapting to climate change we must ensure security,
education, health, energy for the population, provision of water and sanitation
services, delivery communication and infrastructure services, job creation,
provision of housing, reconstruction due to loss and damage caused by extreme
weather events, adaptation actions, among others. UNIDAD MADRE TIERRA Y AGUA /
MINISTERIO DE RELACIONES EXTERIORES ESTADO PLURINACIONAL DE BOLIVIA
Mr.
President, We denounce to the whole world the pressure from some countries for
the approval of new carbon market mechanisms, although these have shown to be
ineffective in the fight against climate change, and that only represent
business opportunities. This is a climate change conference, not a conference
for carbon business. We did not come here to do business with the death of
Mother Earth betting on the power of markets as a solution.
We
are here to protect our Mother Earth; we came here to protect the future of
humanity. Yesterday forests were turned into carbon markets businesses, and the
same was done with the land, they tried to oceans and, worse, to agriculture.
Agriculture is food security, employment, life, and culture. Agriculture is
along with the land, mountains and forests, the house and the food of our
indigenous and peasant communities.
WE
WILL NOT ALLOW THE REPLACEMENT OF THE OBLIGATIONS OF DEVELOPED COUNTRIES WITH
CARBON MARKETS. PLANET IS NOT FOR SALE, NOR OUR LIFE. It is essential that
developed countries take the lead withmitigation actions with concrete results
and high ambitions and that developing countries do their part within their
respective capabilities, and according to financial and technological
transfers, solving problems of poverty.
Mr.
President, In Bolivia we have the vision of Living Well as a new approach for
civilization and cultural alternative to capitalism, and in this context we
focus our efforts to create a balance and harmony between society and nature.
Bolivia, presented here concrete proposals to strengthen the global climate
system. We have proposed the creation of the Joint Mechanism for Mitigation and
Adaptation for integrated and sustainable management of forests, not based on
markets, to strengthen community, indigenous and peasant management of our
forests, which can promote climate mitigation actions without transferring the
responsibilities of developed countries to developing countries.
Also,
we promote consistently the creation of an international mechanism to address
loss and damage resulting from natural causes and impacts of climate change in
developing countries. Our country will not promote carbon market mechanisms
such as REDD, and will respect and strengthen community management of forests.
Mr. President, We will not allow the people of the world
to pay the bill for the irresponsibility and greed. It's time to give concrete
answers to humanity and Mother Earth. Let´s be careful of the intentions of
some developed parties to make us feel resigned in front of this terrible
reality, and admit the inertia and inaction of those countries that are
historically responsible of global warming, sending us a message that is better
to have a "pragmatic" attitude, which of course will condemn to cook
planet and the extinction of the humanity. UNIDAD MADRE TIERRA Y AGUA /
MINISTERIO DE RELACIONES EXTERIORES ESTADO PLURINACIONAL DE BOLIVIA Mr.
President, brothers and sisters of the world, take these words as a commitment
to life and Mother Earth. With this conviction we will be guided to meet the
challenge we have in this conference, the challenge of saving the planet, and
not to negotiate our climate. Thank you Mr. President.
Mr. President, brothers
and sisters of the world, take these words as a commitment to life and Mother
Earth. With this conviction we will be guided to meet the challenge we have in
this conference, the challenge of saving the planet, and not to negotiate our
climate. Thank you Mr. President.
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