MANILA, Philippines – Sen. Loren Legarda called on world ministers yesterday to focus on governments’ efforts to address “climate-related disasters amid fears that the problem may be overshadowed by the current global financial crisis.”
In a speech delivered to the United Nations General Assembly in New York City Monday afternoon (New York time), Legarda appealed to world ministers to refocus attention on “climate-related disasters” amidst hype on the global financial crisis.
Top world ministers and policymakers from 190 nations gathered at the UN Headquarters in New York City for the Plenary Session of the Economic and Financial Committee of the UN General Assembly.
Legarda warned policymakers and ministers that the awareness campaign waged for decades by environment advocates may be overshadowed by current financial woes in the United States.
In her speech, she emphasized that the challenge for world leaders now should still include sustaining a “strong focus on climate change” and reducing “climate-related disasters more effectively.”
“In this time of global financial crisis, there is a real risk that the newfound awareness and concern for climate change may be eclipsed by the startling plummet of the financial market,” Legarda said.
In 1994, the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change entered into force. The UNFCCC is an international environmental treaty aimed at stabilizing greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere.
Legarda flew to New York to report on the outcome of the UN International Strategy for Disaster Reduction Consultative Meeting with Parliamentarians, which she co-organized in Manila last Oct. 17-18.