I am delighted to announce, on behalf of APEC Leaders, the Sydney Declaration on Climate Change, Energy Security and Clean Development.
A great challenge for our region is to balance our energy needs with action to address the threat of climate change posed by greenhouse gas emissions. Through the Sydney Declaration, APEC Leaders have charted a new international consensus for the region and for the world.
I take this opportunity to highlight key components of the Sydney Declaration which Australia believes represent APEC's international leadership, in particular:
* there should be a long-term aspirational goal for reducing global greenhouse gas emissions, to guide an effective post-2012 international arrangement on climate change;
* all economies should contribute to achieving that goal, taking into account national circumstances and allowing for a range of market-based policy measures;
* APEC regional goals to reduce energy intensity and increase forest cover, highlighting policies that support economic growth whilst reducing greenhouse gas emissions;
* new technologies, particularly in zero and low emissions energy sources and production, will be crucial to achieving real and lasting greenhouse gas emissions reductions.
Each of our economies has brought quite different perspectives to the Sydney Declaration, reflecting our diversity as both developed and developing economies, and the unique nature of each of our respective natural resource endowments and economic structures.
APEC Leaders have moved substantially to reach the new regional consensus represented by the Sydney Declaration. I believe it reflects a genuine commitment on the part of APEC Leaders for the region, and the world, to move forward.
I am very pleased that APEC Leaders have expressed strong support for Indonesia as host of the UN climate change meetings in Bali in December, and for the United States in hosting a meeting of major economies on climate change later this month.
Our commitments, in the spirit of APEC consensus, reflect the depth of our concern and the seriousness of our endeavour to address global warming, whilst providing for economic growth and development, lifting tens of millions out poverty, in our region. They underline APEC's continuing vitality and relevance to meeting contemporary challenges.