Your Excellencies, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen,
We gather in this hall today, as some of the most climate-vulnerable nations on Earth.
We are vulnerable because climate change threatens to hit us first; and hit us hardest.
And we are vulnerable because we have modest means with which to protect ourselves from the coming disaster.
We are a diverse group of countries.
But we share one common enemy.
For us, climate change is no distant or abstract threat; but a clear and present danger to our survival.
Climate change is melting the glaciers in Nepal.
It is causing flooding in Bangladesh.
It threatens to submerge the Maldives and Kiribati.
And in recent weeks, it has furthered drought in Tanzania, and typhoons in the Philippines.
We are the frontline states in the climate change battle.
Ladies and gentlemen,
Developing nations did not cause the climate crisis.
We are not responsible for the hundreds of years of carbon emissions, which are cooking the planet.
But the dangers climate change poses to our countries, means that this crisis can no longer be considered somebody else’s problem.
Carbon knows no boundaries.
Whether we like it or not, we are all in this fight together.
For all of us gathered here today, inaction is not an option.
So, what can we do about it?
To my mind, whatever course of action we take must be based on the latest advice of climate scientists. Not on the advice of politicians like us.
As Copenhagen looms, and negotiators frantically search for a solution, it is easy to think that climate change is like any other international issue.
It is easy to assume that it can be solved by a messy political compromise between powerful states.
But the fact of the matter is, we cannot negotiate with the laws of physics.
We cannot cut a deal with Mother Nature.
We have to learn to live within the fixed planetary boundaries that nature has set.
And it is increasingly clear that we are living way beyond those planetary means.
Scientists say that global carbon dioxide levels must be brought back down below 350 parts per million.
And we can see why.
We have already overshot the safe landing space.
In consequence the ice caps are melting.
The rainforests are threatened.
And the world’s coral reefs are in imminent danger.
Members of the G8 rich countries have pledged to halt temperature rises to two degrees Celsius.
Yet they have refused to commit to the carbon targets, which would deliver even this modest goal.
At two degrees we would lose the coral reefs.
At two degrees we would melt Greenland.
At two degrees my country would not survive.
As a president I cannot accept this.
As a person I cannot accept this.
I refuse to believe that it is too late, and that we cannot do any about it.
Copenhagen is our date with destiny.
Let us go there with a better plan.
Ladies and gentlemen,
When we look around the world today, there are few countries showing moral leadership on climate change.
There are plenty of politicians willing to point the finger of blame.
But there are few prepared to help solve a crisis that, left unchecked, will consume us all.
Few countries are willing to discuss the scale of emissions reductions required to save the planet.
And the offers of adaptation support for the most vulnerable nations are lamentable.
The sums of money on offer are so low, it is like arriving at a earthquake zone with a dustpan and brush.
We don’t want to appear ungrateful but the sums hardly address the scale of the challenge.
We are gathered here because we are the most vulnerable group of nations to climate change.
The problem is already on us, yet we have precious little with which to fight.
Some might prefer us to suffer in silence but today we have decided to speak.
And so I make this pledge today: we will not die quietly.
Ladies and gentlemen,
I believe in humanity.
I believe in human ingenuity.
I believe that with the right frame of mind, we can solve this crisis.
In the Maldives, we want to focus less on our plight; and more on our potential.
We want to do what is best for the planet.
And what is best for our economic self-interest.
This is why, earlier this year, we announced plans to become carbon neutral in ten years.
We will switch from oil to 100% renewable energy.
And we will offset aviation pollution, until a way can be found to decarbonise air transport too.
To my mind, countries that have the foresight to green their economies today, will be the winners of tomorrow.
They will be the winners of this century.
These pioneering countries will free themselves from the unpredictable price of foreign oil.
They will capitalize on the new, green economy of the future.
And they will enhance their moral standing, giving them greater political influence on the world stage.
Here in the Maldives we have relinquished our claim to high-carbon growth.
After all, it is not carbon we want, but development.
It is not coal we want, but electricity.
It is not oil we want, but transport.
Low-carbon technologies now exist, to deliver all the goods and services we need.
Let us make the goal of using them.
Ladies and gentlemen,
A group of vulnerable, developing countries committed to carbon neutral development would send a loud message to the outside world.
If vulnerable, developing countries make a commitment to carbon neutrality, those opposed to change have nowhere left to hide.
If those with the least start doing the most, what excuse can the rich have for continuing inaction?
We know this is not an easy step to take, and that there might be dangers along the way.
We want to shine a light, not loudly demand that others go first into the dark.
So today, we want to share with you our carbon neutral strategy.
And we want to ask you to consider carbon neutrality yourselves.
I think a bloc of carbon-neutral, developing nations could change the outcome of Copenhagen.
At the moment every country arrives at the negotiations seeking to keep their own emissions as high as possible.
They never make commitments, unless someone else does first.
This is the logic of the madhouse, a recipe for collective suicide.
We don’t want a global suicide pact.
And we will not sign a global suicide pact, in Copenhagen or anywhere.
So today, I invite some of the most vulnerable nations in the world, to join a global survival pact instead.
We are all in this as one.
We stand or fall together.
I hope you will join me in deciding to stand.
Speech Source
More about President Mohamed Nasheed
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
Address by His Excellency President Nasheed (Maldives) at the Climate Vulnerable Forum
Monday, November 9, 2009
K.C. BOEY: Grandma's common sense to sustainable living
2009/11/08 -K.C. BOEY
CLIMATE change is getting everyone hot under the collar in the remaining month to Copenhagen. The politicians are raising their hype, playing to their respective lobbies, but the scientists and environmentalists are in no doubt: we are close to irreversible damage. 
Nonsense, the bean counters sniff. The people who hold the purse strings, the sceptics and the plain selfish just want to go on spending lavishly, consuming voraciously, polluting like there was no tomorrow.
The science is in. But how does one get the message across, with all the politics and convoluted sums and arguments, at events such as the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen from Dec 7-18?
Climate change barely rated a mention at the environmental awards presentation at the local council the other night. Sustainability was grandma's common sense.
The environment had meaning. From the traditional owners of the land, to schools and the local church, sustainability is second nature, it would appear.
Sustainable living is not "news", mayor David Cooper would tell those gathered in his council of Knox, in Victoria, to receive the Knox Environment Awards.
Indigenous Australians, traditional owners of the land descended from the longest-surviving culture in the world, have known this going back 40,000 years.
There was no question of choice for them then; it was a matter of survival.
"Modern" Australia for a while lost its way. Now it is discovering the folly of its recent past.
Scientists in their high towers and global and national leaders can debate climate change. On the ground, many are thinking global, acting local.
Councils such as Cooper's are switching light bulbs to energy-saving types, taking ratepayers to the supermarkets to show them how to "buy green", and thinking green in purchase of vehicles.
Knox is one of many councils that support a partnership by state government and business to give and install light bulbs in households for free. In return, households assign carbon credits to the commercial enterprise.
Initiatives such as these may not save the council big bucks, but as Andrew Paxton, Knox manager on sustainability, said at the awards night, the value is in the council "leading by example".
Knox's environment awards have been going for 15 years, in which community organisations, schools, business and individuals are recognised for their achievements on environmental sustainability.
One winner, a church, had no idea there was money in it when it went to its architect five years ago, with the brief to redevelop its building with a small environmental footprint.
It was nominated for the awards to lead by example. The A$1,000 (RM3,000) that came with the award was a surprise bonus.
For members of the church, and others at the Knox awards night, Copenhagen would need no persuasion. Ideas about environmental sustainability flow from the ground up to argument about climate change at the top.
Energy, Green Technology and Water Minister Datuk Peter Chin Fah Kui is in good company. Charged with laying the groundwork for Malaysia to head off "two of the world's most pressing issues", he had planned to start "from the ground up".
As with Knox council and others at the local level, grassroots action don't look anything like game-changers.
Chin had had no idea about what local councils in Australia were doing, but the thought had struck him of a campaign to switch households to energy-saving light bulbs.
That was to plant the seeds of the green technology idea that Datuk Seri Najib Razak escalated to policy when he became prime minister in April, creating the ministry that Chin heads.
Green technology is no nostalgic fad to preserve Planet Earth. As Najib put it at the policy launch in July, green technology can drive innovative economic growth.
It can "deliver the double impact" of accelerating economic growth while reducing Malaysia's carbon footprint, at the same time creating "green collar" jobs.
Najib pressed for green technology and carbon capture and storage (CCS) when Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd dropped by Kuala Lumpur early in July, on his way to Italy for the G8+ meeting.
Almost all -- 92 per cent -- of Peninsular Malaysia's energy needs come from fossil fuels: 59 per cent from gas and 33 per cent coal, with eight per cent from hydro.
Now Malaysia is building a coal-fired station in Sabah.
"The reduction of CO2 emission is a matter of concern to us," Loo Took Gee, ministry deputy secretary-general (energy), tells the New Sunday Times. "That is why we are moving into renewable energy and energy efficiency, in order to reduce greenhouse gas emissions."
Coal is the biggest contributor to greenhouse gas emissions. Australia has an interest to keep a lid on it. Coal is the country's biggest export earner.
Rudd had fast-tracked the Global Carbon Capture and Storage Institute (GCCSI) in Canberra, which he launched in April. The institute started work the week Rudd stopped over in Kuala Lumpur.
The two prime ministers agreed that a ministerial visit from Malaysia to Australia could be useful. Which led to Chin heading a nine-person delegation, among them Loo, to Australia.
The delegation called on counterpart ministers, and visited far-flung research centres and marketing operations.
Among the visits were to the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation, (and wiki here) energy market commission and operator, Cooperative Research Centre for Greenhouse Gas Technologies (CO2CRC), GCCSI and Green Building Council of Australia.
Chin was expansive on his ministry's plans during a three-hour drive from Melbourne to Otway to visit Australia's first demonstration of carbon geosequestration, or the storage of carbon dioxide deep underground.
Malaysia had much to learn, while looking ahead to the global exhibition of green technologies in Kuala Lumpur next year, Chin tells the New Sunday Times.
At the same time, the seeds of sustainable living have to be planted in the people, through education campaigns and in initiatives such as changing the light bulbs.
Saturday, October 10, 2009
COP15: Track Copenhagen Climate Conference with Twitter and Social Media
COP15 is coming up soon, so learn how to track and share all of the latest climate change news with social media and networking sites. By Derek Markham The world's most important climate change event is rapidly approaching, and you can be a part of it, from your couch, your office, or the nearest WiFi equipped coffee shop. Using the incredibly powerful tool of social media, your voice can help to spread the message far and wide. The fifteenth United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP15) will be held from December 7th through the 18th, in Copenhagen, Denmark, and environmentalists around the world will be watching the proceedings with a keen eye for positive changes as a result of the event. The Conference of the Parties (COP) comes under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), and is the highest body of the UNFCCC. It consists of environment ministers who meet once a year to discuss the developments of the convention. Ministers and officials from 189 countries are expected to take part, and at least 10,000 people are expected to attend the conference. Even though most of us aren't able to attend in person, we can still track the progress with social media and networking tools like Twitter and Facebook and share them with others to increase the reach of this important environmental conference. Twitter: If you're not already using this popular microblogging service, perhaps now is the time to sign up and follow some of the heavy hitters for COP15. A great place to start is to search for the hashtag #COP15 and save it on your Twitter page or as an RSS feed for your news reader. When you see something that really resonates with you, re-Tweet it for your followers to see. The COP15 Twitter feed is a must-follow. Facebook: You can start off by becoming a fan of the COP15 Facebook page, and all of the stories posted there will show up on your home feed. Got something to say about a story? Leave a comment for others to see. When you see something worth sharing with your friends, hit the 'share' button and send it around. You can also get the 'Share on Facebook' button for your browser, and when reading an article about the climate change conference, use it to share the post with your Facebook friends. StumbleUpon: The social bookmarking site StumbleUpon has a huge reach with its users, who 'Stumble' through sites on topics they love. Sign up for an account, download the toolbar for your browser, and start submitting COP15 stories to the site. Other environmentalists and greenies will then be able to view, review, and share these stories. digg: digg.com is another huge social bookmarking site which allows users to submit and vote (digg) stories on all sorts of topics. The Environment category covers anything from renewable energy to environmental health to climate change. A story that gets enough diggs to go to the 'front page' can get large amounts of views from the site's users, so if you're a news hound or looking for great content online, set up an account today, and when you see a COP15 story worth sharing, submit it to digg and help raise the awareness of the importance of the climate change issue in our lives. Social Media Mashup: Here's where it gets really fun - See a cool COP15 article on Twitter? Digg it. See a great piece on digg.com about COP15? Share it from the digg page to Facebook or Twitter. StumbleUpon an important post about COP15? Submit it to digg.com, Tweet it, or share it on Facebook. Got a blog already? Re-blog COP15 stories on your site and link back to the original piece. Follow Derek on Twitter, and make sure you're following Planet Green as well.
Silver City, NM, USA | Wed Oct 07 13:00:00 GMT 2009
Using Social Media to Track the COP15 Copenhagen Climate Conference:
Friday, October 9, 2009
Ban Ki-Moon Wants to Hear from You (on climate!)
ecologikal notes: sorry guys for the short lead time, please do reply Ban Ki-Moon's plea and stand in the running for a trip to New York!!
Hey Folks,
For the Earth,
Stuart
Thursday, October 8, 2009
Green battery to power homes in Malaysia!
SOLAR ENERGY: Lee explaining how a lithium-polymer battery system can power up a small household
MALAYSIAN company ETI Tech Corporation Bhd claims to be the first in the world to introduce a lithium-polymer based battery system for solar-powered homes.
“The lithium ion battery is 100 per cent environment-friendly, unlike the more commonly used lead acid battery,” said ETI Tech Corporation Bhd managing director K. K. Lee.
“Also, lead has been banned in Europe as it is poisonous to the environment. What we have here is a battery that is not only green, but also has a higher charging and discharge efficiency and low running cost.
“Less battery packs are also required compared to lead acid batteries.”
Speaking to Malay Mail yesterday at their head office in Kulim, Kedah, Lee and his team had set up a small mock household to demonstrate how their battery system can work better than those that use lead acid batteries.
The mock household consisted of a TV set, a DVD player, three fluorescent lights and a fridge.
Executive director, Y. K. Khor, said that for the same length of battery charge time, the lithium-polymer battery can take in more power with only six pieces of solar photovoltaic (PV) panels. Lead acid batteries would require 12 panels for optimum load capacity.
Three lithium polymer battery units were used yesterday, with each of the units weighing 18kg — around 7kg lighter than lead acid batteries with similar capacity which weigh about 25kg per unit.
Khor said this breakthrough system is perfect for families staying in rural areas — which grid companies such as Tenaga Nasional Bhd have difficulty reaching due to financial and manpower constraints.
ETI Tech is a home-grown green technology company pioneering the use of green energy storage products. They are targeting community level electrification development.
The company also aims to eliminate harmful lead-acid battery use while supplying demand for renewable energy.
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