Appendix A

PALAU DECLARATION ON THE THEME OF CLIMATE CHANGE
AND ALTERNATIVE ENERGY DEVELOPMENT
17 - 19 NOVEMBER 2009
KOROR, REPUBLIC OF PALAU

We, parliamentarians representing countries from the Asia-Pacific Region, at the 14th General Assembly of the Asia-Pacific Parliamentarians' Conference on Environment and Development (APPCED) in Koror. Palau from 17th to 19th November 2009, having discussed in detail the issues related to climate change and alternative energy development;

Reaffirming our convictions that action on climate change is essential for the protection of human life and that alternative energy will spur new industries and innovation across industries, thereby promoting economic growth throughout the world;

Remembering the objectives of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, which set forth objectives towards reductions of emissions of Green House Gases (GHG), but did so in a principle of common but differentiated responsibilities,

Recognizing the Kyoto Protocol, whereby members agreed to legally bind themselves to take measures to reduce their emissions of Carbon Dioxide (C02) and other GHGs in the commitment period 2008 to 2012;

Mindful that a new generation of agreements is needed to guide the world towards more sustainable energy development, and that members of the Framework Convention on Climate Change agreed upon a roadmap to a new climate change agreement at the Conference of the Parties in Bali, Indonesia in December 2007;

Recognizing also the Manado Ocean Declaration which was adopted by the World Ocean Conference in Manado, Indonesia, 11-14 May 2009 whereby the Ministers and the Heads of delegations at the World Ocean Conference discussed threats to the ocean, the effects of climate change on the ocean, and the role of the ocean in climate change;

Recognizing that long-term cooperative action under the Convention should accelerate "actions to address the adverse impacts of climate change that are now occurring and will increase without aggressive intervention;

Aware that energy production and consumption is a major cause of GHG, and that alternative energy can reduce emissions of C02 and other environmentally destructive gases;

Mindful that much of the Asia-Pacific is vulnerable to the risks of global warming, as most of the major cities and Small Island Developing States (SIDS) in the Asia-Pacific region are in low-lying, coastal regions near the Pacific Ocean, leaving them vulnerable to physical destruction if sea levels rise;

Mindful that many nations in the Asia-Pacific face rapidly growing populations with outdated or minimal infrastructure, and that much of the population of these nations are living in poverty;

Recognizing that green technologies are creating a new generation of industries whose development will require skilled labor to develop and maintain this new wave of infrastructure. Development and deployment of Green Technologies could allow Asia-Pacific cities to build 21^st century infrastructure, in the process preventing the physical destruction that will be inevitably result nom climate change, and employing people in new industries;

Recognizing further that the urban centers of Asia are becoming world-renowned centers of technological innovation and manufacturing, and that Green Technologies should be the next cycle of innovation that leads to the further prosperity of the Asia-Pacific region;

Do hereby Resolve to:

Promote the research and development of alternative energy technologies as a vital part of protecting the environment and providing for sustainable economic growth;

Promote cooperation between countries in the Asia-Pacific region to provide for energy needs and for transfer of alternative energy technologies, to allow emerging technologies to be widely distributed;

Ensure the national capacity building of all members to develop modem infrastructure and take advantage of the unique capacities and challenges of each nation to generate, as well as utilize, appropriate alternative energy technology;

Recognize the individual vulnerabilities that each nation faces in confronting climate change;

Enhance each nation's workforce by ensuring that educational and training programs are in place to provide for the skilled labor that energy systems require;

Anticipate the need to identify and strengthen the appropriate institutional, financial and legal mechanisms to ensure that alternative energy development serve as a catalyst for sustainable development.