11. Climate Change Solutions
Hooray, a start has been made at the Sydney Summit towards the issue of Climate Change, and an awakening among the leaders of APEC to this very important global issue. Now let us pursue this matter very vigorously and concretise projects and percentages for nations to share and targets to fulfil. For example on the issue of 20 million hectares of all types of forest by 2020, what will be the share for each nation? And how is it to be enforced? We do not want a situation where one nation through neglect and non-compliance hits the others who are faithfully complying because climate change sees no borders.These and other matters of specifics and solutions are hopefully pursued further at the UN forum end of the year. This global phenomenon needs a fully committed global effort to overcome. 
Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) leaders have achieved a consensus on the contentious climate change issue, and agreed to work towards "aspirational" goals to tackle the problem instead of committing to hard targets on emission reductions.
According to the Sydney Declaration on Climate Change, Energy Security and Clean Development adopted at their meeting yesterday, Apec leaders said that they -- without prejudice to commitments in other fora -- highlighted the importance of improving energy efficiency.
They agreed to work towards achieving an APEC-wide regional "aspirational goal" of a reduction in energy intensity of at least 25 per cent by 2030 with 2005 as the base year.
The leaders also decided to work towards achieving the aspirational goal of increasing forest cover in the region by at least 20 million hectares of all types of forests by 2020.
The phrase "all types of forests" was a latter addition to the document, according to officials, as countries like Malaysia felt it was necessary to make it clear that the word "forest" would not only mean tropical forest.
The goal, if achieved, would store approximately 1.4 billion tonnes of carbon, equivalent to around 11 per cent of annual global emissions in 2004, said the declaration which was released today.
Malaysia, according to officials, had also insisted that the word "voluntary" be included in a paragraph on energy efficiency issues where the leaders "agreed to facilitate and review progress through the voluntary APEC Energy Peer Review Mechanism".
The mechanism, established by APEC energy ministers in May, is to subject APEC members to undergo a voluntary progress review with regard to the implementation of measures to attain energy efficiency.
The ministers had also decided to establish an Asia-Pacific network for sustainable forest management and rehabilitation to enhance capacity building and strengthen information sharing in the forestry sector.
The leaders also reaffirmed their commitment to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and expressed support for a post-Kyoto Protocol international climate change arrangement.
The Kyoto Protocol requires developed and industrialised nations to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 5 per cent below the 1990 levels by 2012. In December, the UN will convene a meeting in Bali to discuss a new arrangement to succeed the protocol.
The declaration said: "We (leaders) are committed to the global objective of stabilising greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere at a level that would prevent dangerous human interference with the climate system."
"The world needs to slow, stop and then reverse the growth of global greenhouse gas emissions," it said.
APEC leaders also called for a post-2012 international climate change arrangement that would strengthen, broaden and deepen the current arrangements, leading to reduced global emissions of greenhouse gases.
"APEC economies that are parties to the UNFCCC agree to work actively and constructively towards a comprehensive post-2012 arrangement at this year's UNFCCC conference," the statement added - BERNAMA.
