Committee for Environmental Protection Climate Change Response Work Programme
The Representatives,
Concerned by Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research’s (“SCAR”) regular Antarctic Climate Change and the Environment reports on the effects of climate change that are already occurring in the Antarctic region;
Recalling the 2009 Washington Ministerial Declaration on the Fiftieth Anniversary of the Antarctic Treaty, in which Ministers from all Antarctic Treaty Consultative Parties noted their concern over the implications of global environmental change, in particular climate change, for the Antarctic environment and dependent and associated ecosystems and confirmed their intention to work together to better understand changes to the Earth’s climate and to actively seek ways to address the effects of climate and environmental change on the Antarctic environment and dependent and associated ecosystems;
Recalling also the recommendations from the 2010 Antarctic Treaty Meeting of Experts on implications of Climate Change for Antarctic Management and Governance, including the recommendation that the Committee for Environmental Protection (“CEP”) consider developing a climate change response work programme;
Welcoming the work of the CEP to respond to this recommendation and its development of the Climate Change Response Work Programme (“CCRWP”);
Desiring that the CEP begin implementing the CCRWP as a matter of priority;
Recommend that their Governments:
1. encourage the CEP to begin implementing the CCRWP as a matter of priority, and provide annual progress reports to the Antarctic Treaty Consultative Meeting on its implementation;
2. request the CEP to keep the CCRWP under regular review, with the input of the SCAR and the Council of Managers of National Antarctic Programs on scientific and practical matters respectively; and
3. give consideration, within their own national scientific funding systems and national Antarctic research programmes, as to how they can address the research needs and actions identified in the CEP’s CCRWP.
The Representatives,
Concerned by Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research’s (“SCAR”) regular Antarctic Climate Change and the Environment reports on the effects of climate change that are already occurring in the Antarctic region;
Recalling the 2009 Washington Ministerial Declaration on the Fiftieth Anniversary of the Antarctic Treaty, in which Ministers from all Antarctic Treaty Consultative Parties noted their concern over the implications of global environmental change, in particular climate change, for the Antarctic environment and dependent and associated ecosystems and confirmed their intention to work together to better understand changes to the Earth’s climate and to actively seek ways to address the effects of climate and environmental change on the Antarctic environment and dependent and associated ecosystems;
Recalling also the recommendations from the 2010 Antarctic Treaty Meeting of Experts on implications of Climate Change for Antarctic Management and Governance, including the recommendation that the Committee for Environmental Protection (“CEP”) consider developing a climate change response work programme;
Welcoming the work of the CEP to respond to this recommendation and its development of the Climate Change Response Work Programme (“CCRWP”);
Desiring that the CEP begin implementing the CCRWP as a matter of priority;
Recommend that their Governments:
1. encourage the CEP to begin implementing the CCRWP as a matter of priority, and provide annual progress reports to the Antarctic Treaty Consultative Meeting on its implementation;
2. request the CEP to keep the CCRWP under regular review, with the input of the SCAR and the Council of Managers of National Antarctic Programs on scientific and practical matters respectively; and
3. give consideration, within their own national scientific funding systems and national Antarctic research programmes, as to how they can address the research needs and actions identified in the CEP’s CCRWP.
