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Ambassador Chigiyal delivers FSM's National Statement at United Nations climate change talks

Doha, Qatar (FSM Information Services): December 7, 2012 - On Thursday Ambassador Jane J. Chigiyal, FSM's Permanent Representative to the United Nations, addressed the Eighteenth Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (commonly referred to as "COP18"). Ambassador Chigiyal led FSM's delegation this year and also acted as a member of the Bureau of the Conference, which is responsible for providing advice and guidance and organizing the sessions.

The ambassador's speech focused on the level and type of climate change mitigation that must occur before 2020, the year in which a new climate change protocol is expected to take effect. The terms of the new agreement and activities to be undertaken before then are being negotiated under the "Durban Platform", which refers to the framework for the new set of negotiations that was established at the climate conference last year in Durban, South Africa. In Durban, the small island states agreed to begin negotiating a post-2020 protocol only if a work plan was also developed to address the "emissions gap", which refers to the gap between the current level of global emissions and the level to which global emissions must be reduced to avoid the most dangerous impacts of climate change.

Echoing the position that was been put forth earlier by the Alliance of Small Island States, of which FSM is a member, Ambassador Chigiyal stated that in 2013 and 2014 the parties must undertake intensive work to identify the most cost-effective ways to reduce greenhouse gas emissions as quickly as possible. She then pointed out that FSM has already identified one such cost-effective climate change solution in the form of prevention of production of super greenhouse gases hydrofluorocarbons, or HFCs, by using the Montreal Protocol, which is the most successful global environmental treaty.

Essentially, FSM's idea is to reduce the problem of emissions from HFCs, which are synthetic products used in refrigeration and air conditioning, by finding substitute refrigerants and thereby not producing so many HFCs in the first place. FSM proposed using the Montreal Protocol because it has experience in reducing other polluting chemicals in the refrigeration sector. After submitting a formal proposal under the Montreal Protocol in 2009, FSM made some breakthroughs this year. Most notably, world leaders at the Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro in the summer agreed that work should begin on a global phase down of HFCs. Further support was also garnered at COP18, as reflected in statements made by the Holy See (the Vatican), Sweden, and other countries, which also proposed using the Montreal Protocol to accomplish climate change mitigation.

After explaining FSM's ideas, Ambassador Chigiyal concluded her speech by expressing hope that new and innovative approaches, including coordinating with other multilateral treaties like the Montreal Protocol, could help reignite the ambition and enthusiasm that has been missing from U.N. climate change talks in recent years.For further information about the conference or about FSM's proposal to the Montreal Protocol to regulate HFCs, please contact the Department of Foreign Affairs or the Office of Environment and Emergency Management at 320-2544 or 320-8815, respectively.