Respected Chairperson, fellow delegates, ladies and gentlemen;

The Australian Prime Minister recently remarked, "We are the first generation to feel the impact of climate
change, and the last generation that can do something about it."

This statement in itself sums up the gravity of the threat that is climate change.

Australia faces significant environmental impacts from climate change across a number of sectors, including
water security, agriculture, coastal communities, and infrastructure.
Leading scientists say climate change will increase the frequency and intensity of extreme weather events.
Rising sea levels pose a significant risk to coastal communities, while the worlds oceans could become too
acidic to support coral reefs and other calcifying marine organisms.

Climate change is on the agenda for most environmental NGOs in Australia. The government has committed to
reducing Australia's greenhouse gas emissions by 60% by 2050. We have introduced a carbon tax which
requires large businesses to purchase emissions permits, and pay penalties for exceeding limits.

Australia has also accepted the Kyoto Protocol, an international treaty, which requires countries to reduce
greenhouse gas emissions, based on the premise that (a) global warming exists and (b) man-made CO
2

emissions have caused it.

So as we can see, overuse of our resources not only pollutes the environment, but also exhausts our reserves at
the same time.

Resource conservation in Australia is an issue of state and federal policy. Australia is one of the most
biologically diverse countries in the world. Preserving its biodiversity for the future is of utmost importance to
the country. The primary law related to resource conservation is the Environment Protection and Biodiversity
Conservation Act (1999). This act identifies several matters of national environmental significance, including
World Heritage sites, threatened and migratory species, and nuclear activities.

The regulation of the Australian mining industry is the responsibility of government agencies. These agencies
administer a range of mining, health and safety regulations relevant to the mining industry.

Australia is well endowed with an abundance of both fossil and renewable fuels. Australias abundant and low-
cost coal resources are used to generate three-quarters of domestic electricity; however, we are doing our level
best to reduce this dependency. In fact, we aim to have 20 per cent renewable energy by 2020 for Australia's
electricity supply.

The dangers we face today are immense. No nation can face this global threat alone. So today, the delegate of
Australia calls upon all the delegates to join us in our endeavour to conserve our precious resources, and to
tackle the looming threat of climate change.