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Statement by

HIS EXCELLENCY, MR. RESIO S. MOSES
Secretary of the Department of External Affairs
of the Federated States of Micronesia

at the
UNITED NATIONS CONFERENCE
ENVIRONMENT AND DEVELOPMENT

Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, 10 June 1992

Check Against Delivery

MR. PRESIDENT, MR. SECRETARY-GENERAL, DISTINGUISHED DELEGATES, LADIES AND GENTLEMEN.

THE FEDERATED STATES OF MICRONESIA, A COUNTRY OF SMALL ISLANDS JOINED TOGETHER BY VAST STRETCHES OF OPEN OCEAN IN THE PACIFIC, HAS A PERSPECTIVE ON THESE HISTORIC MEETINGS THAT DIFFERS FROM MOST. NOT ONLY ARE WE NEW TO THE UNITED NATIONS, BUT OUR ENTIRE EXPERIENCE WITH UNIFIED SELF- GOVERNMENT HAS A SPAN OF LESS THAN TWENTY YEARS; OUR SOVEREIGN STATEHOOD WAS WON BARELY OVER A DECADE AGO. WE ARE THUS NOT ONLY A DEVELOPING COUNTRY, BUT ONE WHICH HAS HAD TO LEARN QUICKLY THE TASKS OF SERVING A WIDELY SEPARATED AND CULTURALLY DIVERSE SOCIETY. UNFORTUNATELY, WE CANNOT AFFORD TO WAIT FOR THE WISDOM OF LONG EXPERIENCE BEFORE CONFRONTING THE CRUCIAL ENVIRONMENTAL PROBLEMS THAT THREATEN US NOW - PROBLEMS THAT THREATEN THE LIFE AND HEALTH OF OUR CITIZENS - PROBLEMS THAT THREATEN EVEN THE VERY ISLANDS ON WHICH WE LIVE. THUS, WE ARE THANKFUL FOR THIS CONFERENCE AND FOR THE CONSENSUS AMONG THE WORLD'S NATIONS THAT THE THREATS FACING OUR COUNTRY ARE ALSO A COMMON CONCERN OF HUMANKIND. WE NEED SUCH REASSURANCE, BECAUSE THE PROBLEMS ARE NOT OURS ALONE; WORKING ALONE, WE COULD NEITHER DEVELOP IN AN ENVIRONMENTALLY SOUND MANNER NOR LONG SURVIVE.

PREVIOUS GENERATIONS OF MICRONESIANS SUBSISTED WELL ON THE BOUNTY OF OUR ISLANDS AND OUR OCEANS, IN COMFORTABLE ISOLATION FROM THE TURMOIL AND CONFLICT THAT ACCOMPANIED THE PROGRESS OF THE OUTSIDE WORLD. WE WERE NOT ENVIRONMENTALLY CONSCIOUS IN THE MODERN SENSE, AND WE WERE NOT THEN MUCH INTERESTED IN DEVELOPMENT, BUT OUR TRADITIONS AND CUSTOMARY PRACTICES EVOLVED ALONG PRACTICAL LINES ON WHICH RESPECT FOR OUR ENVIRONMENT WAS AN ESSENTIAL ELEMENT. THUS, THE CONCEPT OF 'SUSTAINABILITY' IS FAMILIAR TO MICRONESIANS TODAY BECAUSE IT IS DEEPLY ROOTED IN THEIR HISTORY.

NOT UNTIL LATE IN THE LAST CENTURY DID THE REST OF THE WORLD TAKE NOTE OF US, AT WHICH TIME WE COMMENCED A COLONIAL PERIOD THAT BROUGHT DEATH, DESTRUCTION AND WAR TO OUR PEACEFUL ISLANDS. FOLLOWING THOSE EXPERIENCES, MANY OF OUR PEOPLE WOULD HAVE PREFERRED SIMPLY TO RETURN TO OUR FORMER WAYS OF LIFE, LIVING SIMPLY, AND ISOLATED IN HARMONY WITH NATURE. BUT WITH THE BENEFIT OF MODERN TRANSPORTATION AND COMMUNICATIONS OUR PEOPLE, PARTICULARLY OUR YOUNG PEOPLE, POSSESSED A GROWING AWARENESS OF THE WORLD BEYOND THEIR HORIZONS. AS A PROUD PEOPLE, INEVITABLY THEY CAME TO WANT FOR THEMSELVES AND THEIR CHILDREN A STANDARD OF LIVING COMPARABLE WITH WHAT THEY HAD SEEN.

THERE IS, OF COURSE, NOTHING UNIQUE ABOUT THIS; IT IS AN OLD STORY. WHAT MAKES THE CASE OF THE FEDERATED STATES OF MICRONESIA UNUSUAL IS THAT ALL OUR ISLANDS COMBINED MAKE UP A TOTAL LAND AREA ABOUT THE SIZE OF RIO DE JANEIRO, YET THEY ARE THE SOLE HABITATION AND RESOURCE BASE FOR A RAPIDLY EXPANDING POPULATION. WITH THAT CIRCUMSTANCE THE SUDDEN TRANSITION FROM A TRADITIONAL, NATURALIST WAY OF LIFE TO A MODERN, MATERIALISTIC SOCIETY IS CERTAIN TO HAVE ALARMING IMPACTS ON OUR IDYLLIC SURROUNDINGS. A BANANA PEEL QUICKLY RETURNS TO THE EARTH. AN ALUMINUM CAN DOES NOT. SMALL NUMBERS OF PEOPLE CAN LIVE WITHOUT INDOOR PLUMBING AND REQUIRE LITTLE OR NO ELECTRICITY, BUT THE INCREASINGLY CROWDED URBAN CENTERS IN OUR ISLANDS MUST DEAL ADEQUATELY WITH THE DEMANDS OF SANITATION AND HEALTH. WE MUST SUPPLY POWER TO AN EVER MORE ENERGY- CONSUMING SOCIETY - AND IN DOING THESE THINGS WE MUST SOMEHOW OVERCOME STAGGERING PROBLEMS OF TECHNOLOGY AND FINANCE.

IN FORMER TIMES OUR LANDS AND SEAS EASILY SUPPORTED ALL OUR NEEDS FOR FOOD. MICRONESIANS WERE NEVER HUNGRY. BUT THE TRANSITION TO A MONEY ECONOMY ALONG WITH POPULATION GROWTH HAS INTRODUCED NEEDS THAT ARE CAUSING DRASTIC INCREASES IN THE HARVESTS OF OUR LIMITED RESOURCES. THE PROBLEM IS COMPOUNDED BY THE ALL TOO FREQUENT USE OF WASTEFUL HARVESTING METHODOLOGIES. AS A RESULT, WE ARE NOW CONCERNED ABOUT THE FUTURE OF MANY SPECIES OF MARINE AND PLANT LIFE THAT WE HAD THOUGHT TO BE VIRTUALLY INEXHAUSTIBLE.

ANOTHER THREATENING PHENOMENON THAT IS STILL QUITE NEW TO US IS POLLUTION, PARTICULARLY POLLUTION GENERATED BY UNCONTROLLED SHORESIDE AND PORT ACTIVITIES. ALREADY WE SEE EVIDENCE OF EFFECTS UPON THE WATERS CLOSE TO SHORE THAT ARE HOME TO OUR FRAGILE CORAL REEFS AND OTHER MARINE ECOSYSTEMS ON WHICH WE DEPEND IN MANY WAYS. THESE CANNOT BE SACRIFICED IN ORDER TO ACCOMMODATE THE WRONG KINDS OF DEVELOPMENT, OR FOR THE SAKE OF EASY ACQUISITION OF OUTMODED, POLLUTING TECHNOLOGY. THEIR PRESENT VALUE ALONE IS ENORMOUS, BUT WE ARE ONLY BEGINNING TO UNDERSTAND THEIR OVERALL FUNCTIONS WITHIN THE BIOSPHERE AND THEIR POTENTIAL FOR THE BETTERMENT OF HUMAN LIFE .

THESE, OF COURSE, ARE ONLY A FEW OF THE ENVIRONMENTAL PROBLEMS ASSOCIATED WITH ECONOMIC GROWTH IN A TROPICAL ISLAND SOCIETY. TO A PEOPLE WHO HAVE LIVED IN SUCH A SOCIETY FOR CENTURIES, AND BEEN AS CLOSE TO NATURE AS ANY ON EARTH, IT COMES AS A JARRING REALIZATION THAT WE MUST NOW ACTUALLY TAKE ACCOUNT OF THE EFFECTS OF OUR ACTIONS ON THE PARADISE AROUND US, AND PERHAPS EVEN ADJUST THOSE ACTIONS TO AVOID CAUSING HARM. HOWEVER, WE RECOGNIZE THAT THE DAY HAS COME WHEN WE CAN NO LONGER TAKE OUR ISLANDS AND OUR OCEANS FOR GRANTED; WE KEENLY ANTICIPATE THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE BIODIVERSITY CONVENTION AND LOOK FORWARD TO A CONSTRUCTIVE ENLARGEMENT OF OUR UNDERSTANDING, AND A RICHER FUTURE, THROUGH ITS APPLICATION .

ADDED TO ENVIRONMENTALLY RELATED SOCIO-ECONOMIC CONCERNS ARE EVEN DEEPER CONCERNS OF A LONGER-TERM NATURE. THIS GENERATION OF ISLAND-DWELLERS SEEMS TO BE THE FIRST IN HISTORY TO FIND CAUSE FOR WORRY OVER OUR FAVORABLE CLIMATE AND THE SURVIVAL OF OUR ISLANDS. THE MENTAL PICTURE OF ENTIRE ISLAND NATIONS SLOWLY DISAPPEARING BENEATH THE WAVES IS A GRAPHIC ONE AND WE IN THE MICRONESIAN ISLANDS ARE VERY GRATEFUL THAT THE INTERGOVERNMENTAL NEGOTIATING COMMITTEE RECOGNIZED THIS GRIM PROSPECT IN THE TEXT OF THE FRAMEWORK CONVENTION ON CLIMATE CHANGE. THE FEDERATED STATES OF MICRONESIA WORKED HARD ON THE FRAMEWORK CONVENTION ALONG WITH OTHER ISLAND NATIONS, AND THOUGH WE HAD HOPED FOR A MORE AGGRESSIVE START TOWARD SOLVING MANKIND'S MOST DEADLY PROBLEM, WE THANK THE NATIONS OF THE WORLD FOR TAKING THE

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THE MICRONESIAN REGION ALSO HAS BEEN EXPERIENCING A SERIOUS, PROLONGED DROUGHT, BROUGHT ON, WE ARE TOLD, BY THE 'EL NIÑO' CONDITION. EL NIÑO IS A LITTLE-UNDERSTOOD SHIFT IN PACIFIC OCEAN CURRENTS WHICH WAS NOT SEEN IN THE PAST, BUT WHICH HAS CAUSED SERIOUS DROUGHTS IN MICRONESIA TWICE WITHIN THE PAST TEN YEARS. SCIENTISTS STRONGLY SUSPECT A LINK BETWEEN EL NIÑO AND GLOBAL WARMING. OUR CITIZENS INHABITING OUTLYING ATOLLS, WHERE FRESH WATER SOURCES HAVE NEARLY DRIED UP, AWAIT A BREAK IN THE WEATHER WHILE SURVIVING ON SPARSE SUPPLIES OF EMERGENCY WATER PROVIDED THROUGH THE KINDNESS OF MORE FORTUNATE NEIGHBORS.

THUS, MR. PRESIDENT, MY COUNTRY HAS GOOD REASON TO HOPE FOR EARLY IMPLEMENTATION OF THE FRAMEWORK CONVENTION ON CLIMATE CHANGE ALONG WITH FULL FUNDING OF ITS MECHANISMS. FOR OUR PART, WE INTEND TO FULFILL OUR OBLIGATIONS UNDER-THE CONVENTION, WORKING IN A COORDINATED WAY AT REGIONAL, NATIONAL AND STATE LEVELS. MEASURES THUS TAKEN WILL IN MOST CASES ALSO ADDRESS THE GOALS OF AGENDA 21 AND THE PRINCIPLES OF THE RIO DECLARATION. CLEARLY, THE EARLIEST POSSIBLE IMPLEMENTATION OF EFFECTIVE SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT POLICIES WILL BE OUR BEST WAY OF MEETING THE DIFFERENTIATED RESPONSIBILITY WE UNDERTAKE IN THE FRAMEWORK CONVENTION. I MUST STRESS, HOWEVER, THAT WE CANNOT REACH THE GOAL WITHOUT ASSISTANCE.

FINALLY, MR. PRESIDENT, I SUGGEST THAT THE RECENT HISTORY OF THE FEDERATED STATES OF MICRONESIA PROVIDES AN INTRIGUING MODEL IN MINIATURE OF THE EVOLUTION OF THE WORLDWIDE ENVIRONMENTAL CRISIS. THE PROCESS OF OUR ECONOMIC TRANSITION, OUR EARLY PRESUMPTIONS THAT THE ENVIRONMENT WAS IMMUNE TO OUR ACTIONS, OUR INITIAL DEVELOPMENT POLICIES IGNORING ENVIRONMENTAL CONSIDERATIONS, AND OUR AWAKENING TO THE NECESSITY OP SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT, ALL UNFOLDED IN MY COUNTRY ONLY A FEW YEARS. MOST OF THE REST OF THE WORLD HAS FOLLOWED THE SAME STEPS, BUT OVER SEVERAL CENTURIES. MICRONESIA AND OUR ISLAND COUNTERPARTS REMAIN, HOWEVER, ON AN ACCELERATED TIMETABLE.

SHOULD WE ALL FAIL TO DO WHAT MUST BE DONE, WHETHER FOR LACK OF POLITICAL WILL, UNWILLINGNESS TO COMMIT RESOURCES OR SIMPLE SKEPTICISM, THE FINAL STEP IN THE PROCESS WILL BE THE SAME FOR ALL, WITH MY COUNTRY AND OTHER ISLAND STATES LEADING THE GRIM PROCESSION. THE DESTRUCTION OF THE FEDERATED STATES OF MICRONESIA WILL PROVIDE ANY REMAINING DOUBTERS A PREVIEW OF WHAT, BY THEN, WILL HAVE BECOME THE INEVITABLE FATE OF THE ENTIRE PLANET.

THESE MEETINGS, HOWEVER, AND THE VARIOUS INSTRUMENTS THAT THE WHOLE WORLD HAS JOINED TO ESTABLISH, GIVE ME A SENSE OF OPTIMISM THAT WE WILL NOT FAIL, AND THAT THE RIO SUMMIT WILL BE HAILED BY FUTURE GENERATIONS AS THE KEY POINT IN HISTORY WHEN THE WORLD OFFICIALLY BEGAN TO COME TO ITS SENSES. GOD GRANT THAT WE ARE NOT TOO LATE.