Environment

UN secretary general visits the arctic

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Marco Werman speaks with Norway’s Environment Minister Erik Solheim about his trip to the Arctic this week, accompanying UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon.

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MARCO WERMAN: UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon got a look at the warming Arctic for himself yesterday. He traveled north from the Norwegian archipelago of Svalbard aboard a Norwegian coastguard cutter. He returned with a gas-guzzling metaphor to illustrate the perils of global warming. “Our foot is stuck on the accelerator,” Ban said today. “And we are heading towards an abyss.” The secretary general’s host on his trip to the Arctic was Norway’s environment minister, Erik Solheim. Solheim says Ban Ki-Moon made the trip to make a point.

ERIK SOLHEIM: The main purpose was to provide a platform for the secretary general to convey his message to the world. We see a very rapid melting down of the ice in the Arctic. This is a very negative signal. I mean it’s in itself also causing a lot of worry and for instance for the future polar bears.

WERMAN: And how impressed where you with Ban Ki-Moon’s engagement on the subject of climate change?

SOLHEIM: That’s 100%. I mean he’s knowledgeable about climate change and engaged in the matter and he wants to provide this evidence to the high level summit he’s calling in New York on the 22^nd of September [INDISCERNIBLE] Obama, [INDISCERNIBLE] China and then numerous other leaders will be gathering.

WERMAN: As the Arctic warms up other nations seem to be taking more interest in the Arctic. Two years ago Russians as you know planted their flag on the floor of the Arctic Ocean at the North Pole. What do they want with the Arctic?

SOLHEIM: I think we should all get into how we can work together. Canada, United States, Russia, [INDISCERNIBLE] Arctic [INDISCERNIBLE] in making certain that we do not see a negative impact on the environment in the Arctic. If the ice is melting down of course there may be new sea lines through the Arctic. If the ice is melting there will be a possibility for more oil exploitation. All this will have to be done in the most environmentally friendly manner because the Arctic is an incredibly vulnerable environment.

WERMAN: Now you mentioned that meeting later this month in New York where Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon is going to hold a meeting of heads of state to discuss a new international treaty that would be essentially the sequel to Kyoto. There are concerns now that that the negotiation process for that treaty is already getting bogged down. Was a trip to the Arctic by the secretary general part of that attempt to get countries focused now before the September 22^nd meeting?

SOLHEIM: Very much so. I mean the secretary general himself wanted to see it that way. He has no direct [INDISCERNIBLE] of nations in the world but he has a great conveying power and can bring everyone to the same table. He also has a great moral power and he can tell leaders what they should do if they wanted to service for our children and grandchildren.

WERMAN: I’ve got to say though the moral argument for controlling climate change has not really gotten traction in the past. Why do you think the secretary general is going to be able to sway opinions now?

SOLHEIM: I think the view that we are much … . I mean the climate change is the overriding problem of age. The challenge is enormous. On the other hand never, ever has the world been better prepared for making a serious deal on [INDISCERNIBLE] climate change. I mean all top leaders of all major nations – being China and the Europeans powers, United States – all decent leaders who want to achieve a deal. We have a framework of the UN convention and the UN itself and we do have the capacity for a tremendous technological change. At the end of the day of course it’s an issue of leadership – President Obama, all the top leaders, must show leadership.

WERMAN: Speaking to us from Oslo, Erik Solheim, Norway’s’ environment minister. He accompanied UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon on his trip to the Arctic yesterday. Thank you very much for your time.

SOLHEIM: Thank you.

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