- Det talte ord gælder -
Welcome to Copenhagen.
I just recently returned from a trip to Greenland. There, I found my self on top of an arctic glacier looking right at the effects of global warming.
I was there to visit the research facility Zackenberg, and with the news, that someone had just seen a polar bear on the airstrip of the nearby Daneborg, still ringing in my ears, I tried to find comfort in the fact that I had a riffle in my hand.
As you can imagine, I was feeling all shook up as Elvis might have put it.
Because only a few hours earlier I met the scientist who recently saved his colleague from a dramatic death after an attack from a polar bear.
“You never know how you are going to react”, the courageous man told me. “So I was certainly relieved, when the bear rolled over on its back”.
After telling me that, he promised to cook me a polar bear steak that same evening.
Tempting as that might be, I had not come to Greenland for the sake of exotic food. But to take a close look at the very visible climate changes there.
In fact, the climate changes in East Greenland are some of the best indicators of what we have in store in terms of environmental changes in the future.
First of all because the changes you find here are more severe than any other place, and second because they have damaging global consequences.
A clear indication of this is the fact that spring starts two weeks earlier than it used to, and that the snow melts a lot faster than it did just a few years ago.
Climate change is happening.
Indeed, no matter how we look at it, it is an indisputable fact, that climate change is happening – and it will continue to do so if we don’t act.
The climate is changing and the impact is first and foremost through water. It increases the risk of heavier rainfalls, the rising of sea levels and flooding, in many parts of the world. In other parts, water resources will become scarcer.
Consequently, adapting to the adverse effects of climate change will to a large extent be a question of water management.
And that is why we need to be innovative to develop the best adaption technologies to manage changes in the water cycle.
Climate change will increase the risk of natural disasters occurring like the ones we have seen in the last few years, weeks and days.
Just think of disasters like Katrina in New Orleans, the terrible flooding in Pakistan and the burning forests in Europe and Australia, not to mention the sewage water in the basements in the outskirts of Copenhagen.
That is also the reason why the Pentagon has incorporated climate change in its defense review this year.
And it stresses the importance of the Danish government's vision to be independent of fossil fuels before 2050. As well as the commitment to keep fighting for a better climate in Cancun this December.
We believe that realising the vision is possible without large additional costs, but cross-border cooperation is essential, though!
And we believe that innovative businesses are essential to meet the challenges in the near future.
As you may well know, this is not only an environmental time-bomb, it is also a threat to our economy.
That’s why I am very proud to welcome you all today to take part in the development of coping with and developing new adaption technologies being presented here at this conference. More people, few resources
Just think about it. The world’s population is projected to increase to 9 billion in 2050.
And with a growing global middle class, more people will demand cars, fridges, city breaks, Ipads and all the other commodities of a modern life.
This will put increased pressure on practically every natural resource on the globe – including those that power our current “black” economy like oil, gas and coal.
Technological solutions are vital.
Technological solutions and innovation are vital if we are to adapt to climate changes as well as meeting the demands of the market and secure the best economic advantages.
And adaptation seems to be a field where we can expect a significant economic growth potential.
In Denmark, we have already shown that investing in renewable and sustainable energy sources go hand in hand with economic growth.
Since 1980 the Danish economy has grown by almost 80%, while the energy consumption has remained more or less constant, and CO2 emissions have been reduced.
The share of oil in the total Danish energy consumption has fallen dramatically over the years. At the same time renewable energy is now covering almost 1/5 of our country’s consumption.
As the New York Times columnist Thomas Friedman have put it: “It is hard to look at Denmark and see the road not taken”.
Today, almost 12% of our export come from clean tech; and our export of energy technology has increased by 250% over the last ten years - or twice the EU 15 average.
So, the first mover effect is definitely not an illusion.
Just take the simple fact that the two largest Danish wind turbine manufacturers have approximately 20 % share of the global market.
And the story of the Danish “wind-GEEKS” has reached as far as the American cartoon “The Simpsons”: In an episode this spring, Homer – under the clever supervision of his daughter Lisa – buys a windmill from the Danish wind industry.
- And quite correctly, wind is introduced as “the energy that powers Denmark”.
Our appearance in the Simpsons underlines, that Denmark has got a strong green brand.
And I think we should see it as a great honour to be made fun of by the Simpsons team.
– Usually it is only American presidents and celebrities like Bono and Arnold Schwarzenegger who gets to do the “guest starring”.
The scope of your efforts at this conference may be to identify climate change adaptation technologies needed to manage changes in the water cycle.
And we desperately need to develop types of technologies that are needed to address the problems at hand both in Denmark and internationally.
The way I see it, we must all be engaged in preventing climate change at every level of our society, if we are to be successful in our efforts.
And technological solutions are a vital element in adapting to climate change and reaching that goal.
Ladies and Gentlemen. In the UNFCCC negotiations Denmark is working for a framework for technology and finance that can support adaption activities in developing countries.
The Copenhagen Accord was an important step in this direction. And In Cancun this December we will continue the good work. Although Cancun Can is probably too optimistic a slogan.
The Pakistani foreign minister Qureshi has expressed it better that anyone:
“The present situation in Pakistan reconfirms our extreme vulnerability to the adverse impacts of climate change. It also complicates the reconstruction and rehabilitation scenario in Pakistan.
Nature has made a graphic endorsement to strengthen the case for a fair and equitable outcome from the ongoing UNFCCC negotiations”.
I believe it is possible to adapt to the impact of climate change by being well prepared and by being smart.
And I look forward to all the fruitful ideas and analysis that will come of this conference.
Thank you!