part iv additional documents from xxviii atcm - Antarctic Treaty ...

ANNEX H
Remarks by Ambassador Hans Corell,
Chairman of the XXVIIII Antarctic Treaty Consultative Meeting,
at the presentation by the Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research
Stockholm, 8 June 2005
Your Majesty,
Distinguished participants,
May I, in my capacity as chairman of the Antarctic Treaty Consultative Meeting (ATCM), greet you
all warmly welcome to this presentation by the Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research (SCAR).
SCAR is an inter-disciplinary committee of the International Council for Science (ICSU) and is charged
with initiating, developing and coordinating high quality international scientific research in the
Antarctic region, and on the role of the Antarctic region in the Earth system.
We are glad to have among us the President of SCAR, Professor Dr. Jörn Thiede. He is accompanied
by Professor Steven Chown. We are looking forward to their presentations.
We are of course particularly honoured by the presence of His Majesty King Carl Gustaf.
His Majesty’s presence is not a coincidence. It is based on a genuine interest in environment and
matters of the kind we are engaged in. I am sure Professor Thiede knows more about His Majesty’s
interest than I do.
By way of example, I can mention that only a few days ago. His Majesty - together with his daughter
Crown Princess Victoria, Crown Prince Frederik of Denmark and a group of fifteen international
scientists - participated in the 7th Royal Colloquium, which was held on board the Icebreaker Oden.
We are going to visit this icebreaker on Friday this week.
The participants in the colloquium, which was hosted by His Majesty, explored the scientific and
policy implications of an “Arctic under Stress: A Thawing Tundra”.
Allow me to quote the following from a statement that the participants elaborated and which they
called “The Oden Declaration”:
“The Arctic is now experiencing particularly rapid and severe climate change. Over the next 100
years, Arctic climate change is expected to accelerate, contributing to major physical, ecological,
social, and economic changes, many of which are already apparent. Changes in the Arctic climate will
affect the rest of the world through increased global warming and rising sea levels.
There is strong scientific evidence that these changes are beyond natural variability and are
significantly influenced by human activities. These changes in the global environment carry risks for
human well-being, especially for use of natural resources, such as fresh water. In many cases adaptation
will be necessary, although difficult and costly. However, in low lying areas, such as some small
island states, adaptation will be impossible. It is clear that we ourselves are changing the environment
upon which we depend.
The scientific evidence is now strong enough, and the consequences for human well-being serious
enough, that global change should be discussed, debated and addressed by societies around the
world. We hope that the scientific discussions at this Royal Colloquium will help to inform this global
debate.”
I thought it appropriate to share this information with you. But now our focus should shift from the
Artic to Antarctica!
Professor Thiede, you have the floor! You are most welcome!
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