By Kim Se-jeong
Staff Reporter
A senior U.N. official has praised Korea for its compliance with the United Nations' agenda and its firm commitment to fighting climate change.
What is more noteworthy is that U.S. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon ``has taken the climate change as an important agenda. Having his home country taking a leadership position is very significant, and I welcome it,'' Asha-Rose Migiro, deputy secretary-general of the U.N., said in an interview with The Korea Times last week.
Migiro gave a speech on climate change at the World Leaders Forum in Seoul to mark the 60th anniversary of the country's founding. It was her first visit to Seoul.
When it comes to climate change, there is one thing that has been unanimously agreed on: It is a man-made disaster.
The United Nations' Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) released a dire report in early 2007, confirming environmental destruction as a man-made disaster, and issued warnings that without imminent and collective action, human beings on earth would suffer a great deal from irreversible consequences.
The timing of the issuance of the report coincided with the inauguration of U.S. Secretary-General Ban in January last year, and climate change has been his priority in the agenda ever since.
As the IPCC won the Nobel Peace Prize together with former U.S. Vice-President Al Gore (known for his documentary film An Inconvenient Truth), climate change has once again gotten the attention of the general public.
Likewise, Migaro has little doubt of the severity of climate change. ``Among the many challenges we are facing, climate change is increasingly being recognized as the most pressing that will affect most of us in our lifetime and pass on to future generations,'' she said in her speech at the World Leaders Forum.
Climate change amid the global financial tsunami is losing support, with supporting countries stepping back from their original pledges.
A few members of the E.U. announced they would withdraw from the original agreement on the capping of greenhouse gas emission, confessing that reaching 20 percent of their target would put their economic development at risk.
AFP also reported that if the U.S. economy is weak, ``it will be very difficult to make a case for an aggressive policy that puts the economy in jeopardy further.''
Migiro said stepping back from climate change commitment is a nearsighted decision. Rather, she urged it is time to do more. `` We should not move our attention from climate change because implications in the long run are that our survival will be under threat. That's why I am saying it's time to do more.''
She urged countries to take stock, refocus and mobilize investments in clean technologies and natural infrastructure, which would result in job creation.
``If we do not change our production pattern, even the very lowest cost production will become very high. Using greener technology actually is being cost-efficient in the long run,'' she said.
She said that in China, 600,000 people are employed in the solar thermal industry and installing products such as solar water heaters and 200,000 jobs in Nigeria are for producing bio fuels based on cassava and sugar cane crops. In South Africa, 25,000 people are employed in a water conservation project, the Working for Water initiative.
She also called for developed countries to join developing countries in helping them adopt technology to survive and encourage businesses to invest greener energy.
Korea has only recently become a global player in terms of climate change.
A traditionally strong player in the heavy industries industry, Korea has seldom raised its voice in climate change talks.
This year, however, the Lee Myung-bak administration has adopted the motto ``Low Carbon and Green Growth,'' campaigning it domestically and internationally.
During the G-8 meeting, President Lee said Korea is willing to come up with a target rate of greenhouse gas emission. Korean Climate Change Ambassador Chung Rae-kwon announced that Korea would like to play a bridging role between developed and developing countries by commencing a voluntary reduction target of its own. The target rate is to be announced next year, and preparation is said to be under way.
At the U.N. General Assembly in September, Prime Minister Han Seung-soo expressed Korea's interest in hosting a future U.N. climate meeting.
Migiro, a former lawyer and foreign minister of Tanzania, praised Korea for taking the lead, setting an example for other developing countries like her own.
``Korea is an important example for other developing countries ― working hard, making a good use of resources, and adopting to technologies that are friendly to the environment. We welcome it, and hope other countries to get a cue from the Korean experience,'' she said.
Just as technological advancement is pivotal, public advocacy is important, Migiro said. By the same token, Ban's initiatives can't be ignored in raising awareness of climate change and its consequences.
Ban once traveled to his office by riding in a solar taxi when they were temporarily available on the streets of New York, she said. To all ``It was a very strong message that he was sending. It first of all stated possibility, and secondly the fact that the highest civil servant is paying attention and was ready to lead by example.''
``Cool U.N.'' was another initiative, she explained. As for building temperature, the U.N. Secretariat was kept a little warmer than usual during the summer and staff members were allowed to wear short-sleeve shirts.
She urged people to pay attention to small actions that would eventually add up and play a big role in reducing greenhouse gas emission.
She said to turn lights off when leaving a room, which she grew up doing for its cost-effectiveness (yet now carries a more important implication).