Climate change is happening. We need to take action. And solutions exist. This was the overall message of the conference on “Sustainable Development on a warming planet” on 24 April at the UN’s European Headquarters in Geneva. Among the high-ranking speakers were Prince Albert II of Monaco, Jean-Pascal Van Ypersele, Vice-Chair of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) and Sunita Narain, Director General of the India-based Centre for Science and Environment.

Referring to the recent Fifth Assessment Report by the Intergovernmental Panel, Van Ypersele said that it’s no longer a question of whether human-generated climate change will occur—we can already see the effects all over the world. The report again predicts among other environmental impacts extreme weather events, a rise in sea levels and acidification of the oceans. Van Ypersele highlighted, however, that possible solutions do exist if strong political action is taken.

Sunita Narain sees these solutions as being especially connected to the future of the poorest countries. Developing countries are the most vulnerable to the negative effects of climate change, she said, but they also have a great chance for a green transformation by learning from the past mistakes of developed countries.

Similarly, Prince Albert stressed the opportunities for strong political action for a green transition. He said the climate crisis should be looked at as a new chance for a well-thought-out flourishing green economy.

Similarly, Prince Albert stressed the opportunities for strong political action for a green transition. He said the climate crisis should be looked at as a new chance for a well-thought-out flourishing green economy.

The Prince is known for being highly active in the field of sustainable development. In 2006 he set up the Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation dedicated to environmental protection and promotion of sustainable development globally.

For more information about the IPCC`s Fifth Assessment Report, see: http://www.ipcc.ch/report/ar5/index.shtml