Statement on the Occasion of the Fourth Edition of The Model United Nations Conference"FerMun"

"Engaging Youth on Global Climate Issues"

by Mr Christian Blondin, Director, WMO (on behalf of M. Jarraud, Secretary-General, WMO)
​FerMUN 2014: Opening Ceremony, 8 january 2014, Geneva, Switzerland

Mr Michael Møller, Acting Director-General of the United Nations Office at Geneva,
Mr Touré, Secretary-General of the International Telecommunication Union,
Mr Jean-Paul Brech, Proviseur of the Lycée International of Ferney-Voltaire,
Distinguished Delegates, Ladies and Gentlemen,

It is a pleasure to be here today at the opening of this Model United Nations conference “FerMUN”. On behalf of the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) and on my own behalf, I wish to thank the United Nations Office at Geneva (UNOG), the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), and the Lycée International of Ferney-Voltaire for this invitation to deliver a message on a theme that is particularly dear to me — “Engaging youth on global climate issues”.

This theme could not be more appropriate and timely. Last September, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), created by WMO and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), released the first part of its Fifth Assessment Report, The Physical Science Basis. The results of the report are unequivocal and based on multiple evidences: the temperature of the atmosphere and of the ocean continues to increase, ice caps and glaciers around the world steadily decline, the global mean sea level is rising, and human influence on the climate system is clear.

The conclusions of the IPCC are confirmed by the reports issued by WMO on the atmospheric concentration of greenhouse gases and the status of the global climate. All of the warmest years have been since 1998 and the year that has just ended continued the underlying, long-term trend. The coldest years now are warmer than the hottest years before 1998.

Since the beginning of satellite measurements in 1979, the decade 2001−2010 has seen the greatest average annual melting of Arctic sea ice on record and all seven of the lowest Arctic sea ice extents have occurred since 2007.

Global mean sea levels have risen by more than 3 mm per year since 1993. On average, the level of the ocean is now 20 cm higher than in 1880, but in many locations the rise has been much higher or faster. This means that many coastal zones of the world, often the most populated, are increasingly vulnerable to inundation from storm surges, wind waves and tsunamis. This was illustrated by last year typhoon over the Philippines.

The global concentration of CO2 and other greenhouse gases in the atmosphere continues to rise, unabated. As IPCC scenarios clearly show, continuing with the current reliance on fossil fuels will definitively give us a warmer planet; by the end of the century the temperature could be as high as 4 °C more than in pre-industrial times. Limiting the warming to less than 2 °C can still be achieved, but it will require a rapid significant reduction of greenhouse gas emissions.

This century has also been characterized by a high frequency and intensity of extreme weather and climate events. Most parts of the globe had above-normal precipitation and, therefore, floods were the most frequently experienced extreme event. Many countries and regions suffered heat waves at one time or another. Severe droughts have also occurred in all parts of the world, in the poorest regions resulting in widespread loss of life and food shortages. Extreme weather events also contribute to increase health hazards, especially where sanitation and wastewater management are insufficient.

As the UN Secretary-General, Ban Ki-moon, said regarding typhoon Haiyan that devastated the Philippines last November: «Extreme weather is not a hypothetical issue for tomorrow. It is a reality today […] a brutal reminder of the serious consequences we face without a change in course».

Ladies and Gentlemen,

The youth of the world can do much to advance climate action. Climate action it is not just about CO2 emissions, it is about people, about each of us, about the values we share and what we are ready to do to realize them.

The future holds many challenges and opportunities. Some of these will emerge from the social, economic, environmental and technological trends that we are observing today, others will arrive without much warning. Most will in one way or another involve weather and climate. Demographics and technology developments will continue to shape our world. For example, more than half of the world’s population already lives in urban areas, creating megacities that require water management as well as more sustainable and efficient management of other resources to minimize vulnerability to extreme weather. Future societies may also be faced with resource constraints when it comes to ensuring access for all to food, water and energy.

The impacts of climate change are being felt, and will continue to be so, more directly by the youth of developing countries, particularly where communities depend for their livelihoods on agriculture, forestry, fisheries. Agriculture itself accounts for almost half of all employments in less developed countries, especially in Africa and Asia. Often environmental degradation, desertification and reduced agricultural yields bring with them a severe consequence for many young men and women: migration. Climate change can indeed affect the employment of youth in traditional economic sectors, but there can also be new opportunities, like the opening of green jobs across different sectors, for example energy supply, recycling, transportation. This is a way in which the youth can directly contribute to an economic growth that is also sustainable, help to reduce the rising youth unemployment and make our society better suited to climate change.

Adaptation to climate change is necessary and one way to strengthen our resilience to weather and climate shocks will be to ensure more and better weather and climate information, information for action. To address this issue, WMO and its partners have established the Global Framework for Climate Services (GFCS), a UN System initiative that aims to facilitate the production and use of climate information and services worldwide, especially in developing countries, to enable society to better address the challenges and opportunities brought by climate change.

To mention just some of the initial actions of the GFCS, the provision of climate information is assisting African farmers to better select crops and schedule sowing time, thus reducing climate risk for their crops. Weather information and alerts through simple devices such as mobile phones are helping saving the lives of fishermen of Lake Victoria. Climate information also assists in taking protective actions against health risks related to climate — malaria, meningitis or heat waves.

Many developments in this century will probably be influenced by climate change. The emissions of greenhouse gases will continue to raise temperatures and sea levels and reshape weather patterns and extremes at the global level, but scientists are not yet sure how these will affect individual countries and regions. Current and future generations should prepare to experience changing natural conditions and expect the unexpected.

Learning more about the science, understanding the importance of intergovernmental collaboration on climate issues and promoting climate awareness can be an important contribution of the youth to climate action. Recognizing the strong stake that young people have in the future, WMO has chosen “Weather and climate: engaging youth” as the theme for this year’s World Meteorological Day (23 March). As the next generation prepares for changing weather and climate, the youth can play an active role in monitoring, understanding and responding to the weather and climate of today as well as tomorrow.

The WMO community has already developed tools for understanding and forecasting the weather and climate. Over the coming decades, these tools will become more widely shared and used. Young people who choose a career in meteorology or climate science will be able to play an even greater role. While the challenges facing the next generations are enormous, the opportunities for addressing them have never been greater.

We bear a responsibility not only towards ourselves but also to the next generations, to our children and grand children. You were all born at the end of the twentieth century and most of you will live to see the second half of this century and one of the climate scenarios presented by IPCC. Which scenario will become our future is a matter of the choices we are making in the present.

I wish you the most successful negotiations and the adoption of key resolutions for the future of our planet, for your future.

Thank you.