CubaMinrex. Sitio del Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores de Cuba

Bruno Rodriguez: Climate Change is one of the Current Two Global Threats

CUBA, December 8th, 2010.- Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez stated on Wednesday in Cancun, Mexico, that climate change and the serious threat of a nuclear war are the most serious and imminent dangers humanity is facing for its survival.

While addressing participants in the high level segment of the 16th UN Summit on the issue, he denounced that “powerful forces assure, without hesitation, that climate change doesn’t exist, that there’s nothing to worry about and that the serious problem that has summoned us to meet here today is a complete fabrication.”

In this regard, he warned that these forces are the ones that today at the US Congress oppose the ratification of the weak instruments controlling the proliferation of nuclear weapons.

The Cuban FM denounced that the absence of progress to find a real solution on the issue of climate change and to the threat of a nuclear war responds to the irresponsible attitude of those who promote and benefit from waste, catastrophes, wars and the tragedies of the peoples.

He urged those who have a historic responsibility in these matters to stop waste and the irrational consumption of the planet’s limited resources and to use the millions of dollars devoted to wars to the promotion of peace and sustainable development.

Climate change is a global threat that requires global solutions, solutions that are just, equitable and balanced, and that involve all countries in the world, pointed out the representative of the Caribbean island.

It’s well-known, -he specified- that the main cause of the change in the world climate system are the unsustainable production and consumption patterns prevailing in industrialized countries, and considered that the countries of the south are not responsible for the lack of agreements to stop climate change, but rather the victims.

After considering that participants in the Conference of Cochabamba (Bolivia) put forward essential suggestions that should be taken into account, the FM adduced that a long term agreement has to guarantee a prospect of sustainable development for Third World nations and not an additional and burdensome restriction to achieve it.

The Cuban FM expressed the urgent need to adopt in Cancun concrete decisions on a second period of the Kyoto commitments, and said that at least one clear and precise route sheet for the solution of the main problems of climate change should come out of that summit, with a view to the Durban meeting, to be held a year from now. (Cubaminrex-Cuban News Agency)