Speech at Delhi Sustainable Development Summit

Check against delivery

Excellencies, Ladies and gentlemen,

I am delighted to be back here in New Dehli

Delighted to witness the impressive transformation of this fascinating country.

And delighted to once again meet,

Nobel Laurate and a good friend of Norway, Dr. Pachauri.

Norway has for many years been a partner of the Delhi Sustainable Development Summit.

I am thankful for this opportunity to discuss with you how to move forward after Copenhagen

                                       ***

When world leaders met in Copenhagen in December,

Ambitions were high,

Expectations even higher.

We did no achieve what we aimed for.

We did not reach a legally binding agreement.

However, we made important steps forward.

First, we confirmed the need to limit the rise in global temperatures to 2 Degrees Celsius.

This is the first time world leaders have agreed to this common goal.

Second, we confirmed that deep emission cuts are required – and that effective actions must be taken - both in developed and developing countries.

Third, developed countries confirmed that they shall provide additional funding for climate actions in developing countries.

***

These three issues are interlinked.

Because we will not reach the 2 degrees goal if emissions are not reduced substantially,

And we will not achieve the needed reductions, if sufficient and predictable financing is not provided.

That is why financing is a key issue.

***

Financing is also a matter of justice.

The rich world has been the great emitter of the past.

Therefore, we have no right to deny other nations the right to develop.

* * *

The two main challenges of our time are alleviating poverty and fighting global warming.

We cannot choose between the two.

On the contrary, we need to reconcile development and the environment.

That is the only way to achieve sustainable development.

However, to succeed, we need to create financial flows for climate actions in developing countries.

Norway and Mexico have presented a model for how this might be done.

***

The need for financing is so huge that it can not and will not be met by governments alone.

We need to mobilize the private sector too.

The key is to put a price on carbon.

Carbon pricing has a double effect:

It provides the polluter with incentives to reduce emissions and develop carbon friendly technology.

In addition, it generates revenue that can be used for climate actions in developing countries.

***

Ladies and gentlemen,

Norway will do its share.

We are ready to cut our emissions by 30-40 per cent, and we will become carbon neutral by 2030.

Our goal is to reach a comprehensive, legally binding agreement within the UN framework in Mexico.

We support the UN negotiating process.

And we support Mexico in its important and difficult role.

In doing so, Norway will be focusing on two key aspect of the Copenhagen Accord:

Financing and reducing deforestation.

Deforestation and forest degradation account for around 15 per cent of global emissions.

Thus, by reducing deforestation we can achieve the largest, quickest and cheapest cuts.

We made important progress in this area in Copenhagen.

Six countries, including Norway, pledged 3,5 bill US dollars to prevent deforestation over the next couple of years.

We need to build on this momentum.

Together with other countries, we are working to establish a global partnership on deforestation.

We will start in Paris, and I will invite to a high level meeting in Oslo to take stock.

This partnership must supplement and inspire, not compete with the UN negotiations.

We need to learn from countries that have enjoyed success.

India has made important progress and even reversed deforestation through sustainable management of forest.

You have world class knowledge on forest monitoring that will be vital in order to reduce deforestation.

***

Ladies and gentlemen,

The actions that the government of India has taken domestically to limit emissions should be acknowledged.

I would like to congratulate India on its National Action Plan on Climate Change.

In particular the National Solar Mission.

Yesterday, I had the pleasure of visiting Jhansi in Uttar Pradesh.

The small village Rampura is the first of many villages to be powered by solar energy with help of the Norwegian company Scatec Solar.

This is a public private partnership involving the Indian and the Norwegian governments.

Solar energy is one of the solutions to climate change.

***

Ladies and gentlemen,

Some of the findings of the Climate Panel have recently been subject to criticism.

As a matter of principle, I welcome criticism, because in order to provide the best possible scientific knowledge, we need open discussion.

I commend Dr. Pachauri for taking action to correct any mistakes that have been made.

However – and I would like to underline this - the recent criticism does not change the main conclusions of the international climate panel.

The polar ice is melting.

Sea levels are rising.

The globe is warming.

NASA recently published a report stating that the last decade was the warmest ever recorded.

I would therefore warn those who try to use the recent criticism of the Climate Panel for political purposes.

And as an excuse for not acting.

It would be irresponsible not to act on the overwhelming evidence before us.

We need to act.

We need to reduce global emissions.

We can not risk the future of our planet.

Climate change is a global common challenge – a challenge we can only solve together.

Thank you.