Ponencia di Minister Ursell Arends riba Aruba su plannan di Clima y Energia na Aruba pa 2050

 

Caribbean Climate & Energy Conference

 

Aruba tin plannan amplio pa trata cu e necesidadnan di clima y energia y lo bo tende tur cos tocante esaki nan den e proximo dianan durante e Conferencia di Clima y Energia.

 

Mi ta desea pa pone enfasis riba un factor critico cu ta esencial pa e exito di tur e plannan aki. Nos por captura esaki den un palabra: “conscientisacion”.

Mi no ta papia di “conscientisacion” den e sentido tradicional.

 

Nos como ciudadano di isla caribense, nos sa cu e clima ta cambiando, nos ta mir’e, nos ta sint’e, nos ta bib’e. Realmente, nos no tin e necesidad pa convence nos pueblo cu cambio di clima ta aki. Pa locual ta trata energia, nos pueblo tambe sa cu energia fabrica pa hende ta costa hopi y no ta sostenibel. Nos pueblo sa cu tin un e necesidad pa energia limpi.

 

Mi ta papiando di un diferente tipo di conscientisacion.

 

Mi ta papiando di “conscientisacion” riba e pregunta di KEN por logra e cambio aki.

 

Si e pueblo ta kere cu problemanan di clima mester wordo soluciona pa gobierno, anto nos plannan no lo ta exitoso.

 

Si gobierno ta kere cu nan so por maneha esaki, anto e ora progreso lo ta slow y fracaso ta e resultado mas probabel.

 

Pues, mi ta kere cu tur nos plannan pa trata cu problemanan di clima y energia ta rekeri un bon dosis di conscientisacion propio.

 

Gobierno mester cuminsa acepta nan limitacionnan, manera limitacion financiero incluyendo debe nacional cu ta un problema den mayoria di economianan chikito. Mayoria di nos tin espacio fiscal limita pa acepta invercionnan grandi cu ta necesario.

 

Di manera similar, sector priva mester laga bay di e punto di bista tradicional cu clima ta un problema cu mester wordo soluciona pa gobierno y wordo paga pa gobierno.

 

Cada un di nos tin un papel pa hunga y nos mester traha huntu, iniciativanan conhunto entre sector publico y sector priva mester ta central den nos plananan. Nos no por simplemente re-empaketa productonan di debe, presenta nan na gobierno y yama esaki un solucion.

 

Como pensamento final, mi ta cita Secretario General Ban Ki-moon di Nacionnan Uni den 2015 kende a recorda nos cu:

 

“cambio climatico no conoce frontera nacional”.

 

Palabranan berdad. Pero e bon secretario a referi na fronteranan “nacional”. Mi ta sugeri un ahustacion chikito na e lema famoso aki. Den cuadro di “conscientisacion”, nos por bai di acuerdo pa nos elimina e palabra “nacional” for di e frase ey.  Pasobra cambio climatico no conoce ningun tipo di frontera, punto. Ni nacional, ni domestico.

 

Pa Aruba, e elemento clave den iniciativanan di clima y energia limpi, ta den nos capacidad pa crea e conscientisacion, cu e lo exigi cooperacion mutuo entre e publico domestico y sector priva.

 

Riba e pregunta unda nos ta mira posibilidadnan pa cooperacioon adicional?

 

Pa cooperacion adicional entre nos, na e conferencia di Our Ocean na Panama algun luna pasa, un di e puntonan principal tabata cu nos no por papia di clima sin papia di salud di nos oceano.

 

Nos ta ocupa cu expansion di nos parke marino cu actualmente tin 4 area pa cubri henter e isla. Pero mi no ta kere cu esaki ta suficiente si nos kier logra e mandato di 30×30, tampoco e ta suficiente pa reforsa nos resistencia y capacidadnan di naturalesa pa por absorba impactonan di cambio climatico. Mi ta kere fuertemente cu nos mester, como minimo, papia di un area marino proteha di ABC, Aruba Boneiro y Corsou, caminda nos por uza planificacion espacial marino como un herment pa maneha nos awanan responsabelmente den un forma colaborativo.

 

Si nos mira na e localisacion di Sint Maarten, Saba y Statia, como Reino, kisas nos mester cuminsa boga tambe pa un area marino proteha cu ta cubri henter Caribe. Esaki por duna nos e oportunidad pa maneha e region di caribe na un forma mas efectivo, mas economico y tambe ta habri porta pa atrae financiamento pa e maneho responsabel pa cu nos recursonan natural marino y tambe pa mas actividad economico.

 

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Minister Ursell Arends:

Statement about climate and energy plans on Aruba towards 2050

 

Aruba has extensive plans to deal with both climate and energy needs and you will hear all about them in the days ahead during the “Caribbean Climate & Energy Conference”.

 

I do wish to point out one critical factor that is essential to the success of all these plans. It is captured in a single word :  “awareness”.

I am not talking about “awareness” in the traditional sense. As islanders we know that the climate is changing, we see it, we feel it and we live it.

 

Our people really do not need to be convinced that climate change is here.

On energy, our people already know that man-made energy is expensive and not sustainable.

Our people know that there is a need for cleaner energy.

 

I am talking about a different type of awareness.

I am talking about “awareness” on the question of WHO can bring about the change.

 

If the public believes that climate issues are to be solved by governments, then our plans are doomed to fail.

 

If governments believe that they can handle this alone, then progress will be slow and failure a likely result.

 

Thus, I think that all our plans to deal with climate and energy issues require a good dose of self-awareness.

 

Governments must accept their limitations, foremost among them financial limitations including large national debts that is rampant in most small economies. Most of us have very limited fiscal space to accommodate the large investments that are required.

 

Similarly, the private sector must let go of the traditional view that climate is an issue to be solved by governments and paid for by governments.

 

 

 

We all have a role to play and we must work together,  joint public and private initiatives must be central to our plans. We cannot simply repackage debt-products, present them to governments and call that a solution.

 

As a final thought, I want to quote  Secretary-General  Ban Ki-moon of the United Nations who in 2015 reminded us that :

 

“Climate change knows no national border”.

 

True words.

 

But the good secretary referred to “national” borders.

I propose a minor adjustment to that famous catchline.

 

For the sake of “awareness” lets agree to delete the word “national” from that phrase. Because climate change knows no border, period. Neither national nor domestic.

 

For Aruba the key to climate and clean energy initiatives rests in our capacity to bring about the awareness that success demands cooperation between the domestic public and the private sectors.

 

Regarding where do we see possibilities for further cooperation?

 

For further cooperation among us, in attending Our Ocean conference in Panama a few months ago, one of the key takeaways was that we cannot talk about climate without talking about the health of our ocean.

 

We are busy expanding our current 4-area marine park to island-round. But I do not believe it’s enough if we are to reach the 30×30 mandate, nor will it be enough to strengthen our resilience and nature’s capabilities to absorb shocks from climate change. I strongly believe that we should, at the very minimum, be talking about an ABC marine protected area, whereby we can use marine spatial planning as a tool to manage our waters responsibly and collaboratively.

 

And if we look at the location of Sint Maarten, Saba and Statia, as a Kingdom, maybe we should be advocating and aiming for a Caribbean-wide MPA. This could give us the opportunity to better manage the region, pull our resources, and likely be an opening to attract funding as well for due and responsible management of our natural marine resources as well as economic activity.