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Excellencies,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Dear delegates from all over the world.
And not least our great Mexican host.
80 years ago the Danish scientist, Niels Bohr, rebutted Albert Einstein in what was called the ‘Copenhagen interpretation’.
80 years later, we have new theorems,
that guide our understanding of advanced physics,
but Bohr’s interpretation was a necessary breakthrough.
Yes, time shapes our understanding,
just as our changing understanding, brings us forward.
Let me give you an example.
When the oil crisis struck Denmark in the early 70’ties, we responded with energy savings and renewable energy.
And, we didn’t stop, when oil started to flow again in the 80-ties.
The Kingdom of Denmark, including the Faeroe Islands and Greenland,
cover a vast geographical area
and several climate zones,
ranging from continental to arctic climate.
And we experience a wide range of climate changes;
from increasing temperatures to rising sea levels.
So, now is certainly not the time to hit the breaks.
Just think about the fact that spring starts 2 weeks earlier in Greenland and fish stocks are disrupted at the Faeroe Islands.
And let’s not forget that indigenous peoples are on the frontline of climate change
and experience environmental changes first-hand.
So, what do we do?
Well, as Niels Bohr once said:
“Every great and deep difficulty bears in itself, it’s own solution.
It forces us to change our thinking
in order to find it”.
The point is; we need new thinking to combat climate change and energy poverty.
And exactly because status quo is not an option,
a quick fix is not a possibility either.
The challenges in front of us are simply too demanding.
What we need is a new energy policy
based on efficiency, renewables and green tech.
And that’s why we in Denmark, to my knowledge, as one of the first countries in the world, have decided to become independent of fossil fuels.
Last year, the Copenhagen Accord was agreed upon.
It was not the legally binding agreement, that we had hoped for,
But I’m sure
time will show,
that just as the Copenhagen Interpretation was a step forward in quantum mechanics,
so was the Copenhagen Accord, in combating climate change.
But now dear delegates,
we have to anchor the progress of Copenhagen here in Cancun.
As the famous Danish philosopher,
Soren Kierkegaard once wrote:
To dare is
to lose one's footing momentarily.
Not to dare is to lose oneself.
So, dear delegates,
Let’s facilitate compromise,
let’s take that daring step together.
And let’s show, that Cancun is not just a magnificent holiday destination,
but an important venue for true multilateralism.
Gracias, thank you, mange tak!