Small is beautiful – but it can also be fragile

As a neighbour to many small island developing states, Australia knows well their vulnerability to climate change.

The very existence of countries like Kiribati, the Maldives and the Marshall Islands could be threatened by rising sea levels and more extreme storm surges resulting from global warming.

Yet these and other small developing states are the least responsible for climate change. Small developing states together account for less than one percent of global emissions, and produce an average of 3.3 metric tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions per capita compared to the world average of 4.6 tonnes.

Many small island and coastal states depend on the oceans for their food and livelihoods. Yet marine ecosystems and coral reefs worldwide are in decline due to overfishing and other destructive fishing practices. Ocean acidification and the impacts of climate change also threaten the long-term survival of marine species.

Small developing states are especially exposed to natural disasters such as hurricanes, cyclones and droughts, some so severe that entire populations and economies are affected. The tsunami that hit Samoa in 2009 cost that country 22 per cent of its annual GDP.
The international community, over the next several months, has a chance to change the course of sustainable development.
The United Nations Climate Change Conference in Durban at the end of this year provides another opportunity to take concrete steps toward a global climate regime that includes legally binding mitigation commitments by all major emitters.

The international community will meet again just six months later in Rio de Janeiro for the UN Conference on Sustainable Development, also known as the Rio+20 Summit.

The Rio+20 Summit presents a further opportunity for the international community to set the world on a more sustainable course and to decide on practical outcomes that integrate the three pillars of sustainable development – the economic, social and environmental.

It is important that the global community makes the most of these opportunities.

The world’s population is projected to reach 9 billion by 2050. Coupled with current economic trends, this could bring with it a tripling in consumption of basic natural resources.

Sustainable future

Carbon emissions in 2010 were the highest in history, according to the International Energy Agency. And world primary energy demand is estimated to increase by 36 per cent between 2008 and 2035.

Australia knows well that the future prosperity of small developing states depends on global progress towards a more sustainable future.

The world needs to hear the concerns of small developing states to understand fully the challenges we all face. And the world needs to act to help small developing states build their resilience to the threats they face.

Next week, Australia will host the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in Perth, with the themes “Building National Resilience, Building Global Resilience.”

CHOGM will turn the international community’s attention to the importance of building resilience, particularly that of small states, to global crises.