Estonian president speaks at UN climate conference on behalf of EU

25.09.2007

TALLINN, Sep 24, BNS - Estonian President Toomas Hendrik Ilves spoke on behalf of the European Union at a climate conference at the UN headquarters on Monday.

The EU believes that a post-2012 universal climate agreement should promote technological innovation, Ilves said.

Our response to climate change is based on technology, the president said. It is essential to create a worldwide low-carbon economy and energy efficiency plays a key role in the transition to such an ecologically-oriented lifestyle.

There is urgent need of an extensive policy to promote high-tech development and its implementation. This calls for state programs to support research and development, introduction of stringent norms to regulate energy efficiency of products and processes, and many other measures.

To supplement the UN climate framework, the EU is determined to expand its strategic partnership and cooperation with third countries, paying special attention to joint actions related to energy efficiency and renewable energies, Ilves said.

The bloc underlines that a market-based approach, namely private-sector investments via the carbon market, should be supported by national and international policies and measures, Ilves said.

In his words, the Estonian experience proves that economic and financial measures allow to successfully separate economic development from environmental pollution. He mentioned in particular the implementation of innovative technologies such as the extensive renovation of Estonian oil shale-fired power plants, which has considerably cut fuel consumption and which in turn means significantly lower carbon dioxide emissions.

Nonetheless, Estonia has more work to do to reduce emissions, the president said. Promoting the use of renewable sources of energy, raising energy efficiency together with measures to regulate demand are vital and promising steps, he said.

The president also affirmed support for technology transfer to develop environment-friendly energy generation and consumption. "The best way would probably be to tie development to investment in clean technologies," he said.

In Ilves' words, it is necessary in addition to reducing the amount of greenhouses gases to set restrictions on logging. This measure should be combined with extensive reforestation programs, environment-friendly forest management and the protection and preservation of traditional wetlands, he said.

Perhaps the world needs a global institution, such as a UN organization for the environment, to take over the work of the UN environmental program and deal with environmental issues, the president suggested. It is not only the protection of climate that matters but environmental protection in general, including facilitation of the deployment of the most suitable technologies and knowhow in developing countries, he said.

According to Ilves, Estonia hopes that talks over a new global climate agreement will lead to a general political agreement already in December 2009 because only in this case will governments be able to send industrial enterprises a concrete signal for the necessary decisions to be made in time.

The mankind is for the first time attempting to turn back the clock of climate change and this requires a hard effort from us all. Estonia for its part is ready to commit itself to the development and preservation of a climate-friendly world, Ilves told the UN conference.

Tallinn newsroom, +372 610 8810, sise@bns.ee