The Commonwealth’s commitment to the environment

At their recent biennial meeting in Uganda’s capital, Kampala, in November 2007, Commonwealth Heads of Government reaffirmed their commitment to combating climate change.

Heads adopted the ‘Lake Victoria Commonwealth Climate Change Action Plan,’ in which they restated their support of the 1989 ‘Langkawi Declaration on Environment.’

This Declaration - which marks the first time Heads defined their environmental concerns - acknowledges the “serious deterioration in the environment and the threat this poses to the well-being of present and future generations.”

Since this Declaration the Commonwealth has provided a network of governments, NGOs and scientists that share experiences and expertise from all walks of life around the globe in order to avert disaster in member countries.

Commonwealth environment ministers met in Nairobi, Kenya in February last year to agree a strategy to make best use of the Commonwealth’s extensive networks to fight climate change. As well as ministers and parliamentarians, these networks include geographers, foresters, statisticians and meteorologists.

Then later last year, in October, Commonwealth finance ministers met in Guyana and proclaimed the need to bring climate considerations into every aspect of government policy. Finance ministers also examined the economics and the financial implications of climate change.

Effects of climate change

In a speech at the London School of Economics in November 2007, Commonwealth Secretary-General Don McKinnon cited climate change as a major challenge facing the Commonwealth in the 21st century.*

“We see its effects: like shrinking rainforests, exacerbated by unsustainable logging practices, in Asia and the Pacific; like a thawing of the tundra in northern Canada; the encroaching desert in northern Nigeria; the flooded lowlands in Bangladesh, and the islands of the Maldives, Kiribati and Tuvalu which are barely above the waterline,” he said.

With these effects in mind Heads of Government stated in their Lake Victoria Action Plan that “climate change can undermine our continuing efforts to achieve the Millennium Development Goals.”

They recognised that “the cost of inaction on mitigation and adaptation is far greater than the cost of early action.”

In response to the 'cost of inaction' Heads issued a statement on 24 November 2007 in which they said that “our governments will contribute additional technical and financial support according to our means.”

As well as this commitment from Heads of Government, the Commonwealth Consultative Group on Environment recently met in Monaco to address forest carbon finance in Commonwealth countries. This Group is the Commonwealth’s primary intergovernmental forum for consultations on environment and sustainable development issues.

At their meeting on 20 February 2008 ministers said it was important to take action now and not to wait for the international community to conclude their negotiations on climate change before beginning trials on new approaches.

*In the event, at the last minute Mr McKinnon was unable to deliver the lecture, with Matthew Neuhaus, Director of the Political Affairs Division at the Commonwealth Secretariat, standing in for him.

Click on the links below for more information about the Commonwealths work on fisheries, forests, media training, tourism and urbanisation:

• Ministers call for action to stop destruction of forests
• Conserving, managing and utilising marine resources
• Beware of 'churnalism'
• Protecting the environment through responsible tourism
• Commonwealth adapts to growing urbanisation

Secretariat Links:

• Sustainability
• Commonwealth Week