Summary of the statement delivered by the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Cuba, Bruno Rodriguez Parrilla t the Summit on Climate Change. New York, September 22, 2009
Climate change is the most serious and urgent problem facing humankind and is already jeopardizing the survival of our species.
The present carbon concentrations exceed the rate registered during the last 650 000 years and continue to grow. I will circulate additional and irrefutable data about that.
I listened with respect, attention and interest the speeches given by the leaders of the industrialized countries during the opening session, and I found out there is an abyss that lies between their statements and the negotiation positions adopted by the developed countries delegations during the process previous to the Copenhagen Summit, for they reflect an absolute lack of political will on their part.
Besides, we are faced with a global economic crisis, a food crisis, and an energy crisis.
Wars will not prevent the depletion of oil.
In the planet there are 2.5 billion people living in poverty; 1 billion are starving, 1.1 billion live without fresh water, 2.6 billion have no sanitation services and 800 million are illiterate.
Seventy six per cent of carbon emissions come from developed countries, and they continue to grow. An American citizen consumes 25 barrels of oil a year. One billion citizens from the First World waste half of the energy of the planet, while 2 billion poor people lack electricity.
I wonder how we could reconcile the good purposes enunciated regarding climate change with this unjust, excluding and plundering international economic order.
How can we reconcile the dictatorship of the market with the need to transfer financial resources and technologies to the developing countries to cope with climate change?
The gigantic sums invested in bailing out bankrupted banks show there are enough resources.
Thank you, very much
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