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[Last updated on 28 April 2008]
Chair: Italy
Vice-Chairs: Denmark, Japan, Mexico, Portugal, United States
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14:00
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Welcome and Statement by Chair
Mr. Alfonso Pecoraro Scanio,
Minister for the Environment, Land and Sea, Italy
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14:05
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Statement by Mr. Angel Gurría, OECD Secretary-General
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14:15
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Session I.
Recent Environmental Trends and Projections for the Coming Decades: the OECD Environmental Outlook to 2030
Vice-Chair: Mr. Francisco Nunes Correia,
Minister for Environment, Spatial Planning and regional Development, Portugal
Lead speakers:
Mr. Peter Garrett, Minister for the Environment Heritage and the Arts, Australia
Mr. Zhou Jian, Vice Minister of Environmental Protection, China
Mr. Jean-Louis Borloo, Ministre de l'Ecologie, du Développement et de l'Aménagement Durables, France
Mr. MAANEE LEE, Minister of Environment, Korea
Ms. Jacqueline Cramer, Minister for Environment and Spatial Planning, the Netherlands
Mr. Maciej Nowicki, Minister of the Environment, Poland
Ministers might discuss their progress in implementing the OECD Environmental Strategy for the First Decade of the 21st Century, adopted by OECD Environment Ministers in 2001. Looking forward, the OECD Environmental Outlook to 2030 identified a number of areas where policy actions are needed urgently in order to successfully address the challenges of the coming decades. In this session, Ministers’ discussion might focus on the policies to tackle biodiversity loss, water scarcity, health impacts of pollution, and the need to improve resource productivity. The consequences and costs of policy inaction to address these environmental problems would be significant, and are already affecting OECD and non-OECD economies. Early action, on the other hand, can generate multiple benefits. Ministers may discuss how effective and efficient environmental policies can help countries achieve sustainable development goals. Ministers may wish to discuss whether OECD might prepare for the next meeting of Environment Ministers a revised Strategy for the 2nd Decade of the 21st Century and Outlooks on the priority issues.
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20:00
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Session II. Environmental Co-operation between OECD Countries and Emerging Economies
Vice-Chair: Mr. Stephen Johnson,
Administrator, Environmental Protection Agency, United States
Lead speakers:
Ms. Ana Lya Uriarte, Minister of Environment, Chile
Mr. Erik Solheim, Minister of the Environment and International Development, Norway
Mr. Phil Woolas, Minister of State for the Environment, United Kingdom
Mr. Jos Delbeke, Deputy Director General for Environment, EC
OECD and key emerging economies need to work together to address common environmental goals such as pollution reduction, biodiversity and resource conservation, climate protection and chemical safety. Capacity-building in emerging and developing countries is needed to achieve common environmental goals. Ministers might discuss where dialogue and co-operation between OECD and emerging economies could best be pursued in light of the OECD Enlargement and Enhanced Engagement with key countries.
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9:00
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Session III. Competitiveness, Eco-innovation and Climate Change
Vice-Chair: Ms. Connie Hedegaard,
Minister for Climate Change and Energy, Denmark
Lead speakers:
Mr. Josef Pröll, Federal Minister of Agriculture, Forestry, Environment and Water Management, Austria
Ms. Paula Lehtomäki, Minister for the Environment, Finland
Mr. Matthias Machnig, State Secretary, Federal Ministry for Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety, Germany
Mr. Marthinus Van Schwalkwyk, Minister of Environmental Affairs and Tourism, South Africa
This session will focus on how competitiveness impacts of ambitious climate policies on certain firms and sectors could be managed without reducing the effectiveness of the policies. Ministers may also discuss how policies to tackle climate change can help to promote the development and diffusion of low-carbon and energy efficient technologies and create business opportunities, and how further EPOC work on eco-innovation might contribute to, and benefit from, the OECD Innovation Strategy. Ministers may also discuss what policy and institutional frameworks are needed to more effectively harness the forces of globalisation -- in particular increased trade and international investment -- to achieve environmental outcomes.
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12:30
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Session IV. Strengthening Co-operation across Government for Ambitious Climate Change Policies
Vice-Chair: Mr. Fernando Tudela,
Vice Minister for Planning and Environmental Policy and Principal Negotiator of Climate Change Issues, Mexico
Lead speakers:
Ms. Liana Bratasida, Assistant Minister for the Environment, Indonesia
Mr. Toshiro Kojima, Vice Minister for Global Environmental Affairs
Mr. Andreas Carlgren, Minister for the Environment, Sweden
Mr. Bruno Oberle, State Secretary, Federal Department of the Environment, Transport, Energy and Communication, Switzerland
Many of the policies to address climate change will need to be either implemented by, or with the co-operation of other Ministries. Climate change is not only an environmental problem, but a macroeconomic challenge. Moving towards a low-carbon society will require significant shifts in the structure of the economy, and policies will be needed to smooth the transitions required, for example for workers or other affected social groups. Environment Ministers might discuss how to enhance co-operation across government to integrate climate change concerns into economic, sectoral and development co-operation policies, and how the OECD as an interdisciplinary economic organisation can support countries with this objective. Ministers may also discuss what message they would like to send to Finance and Economy Ministers who will discuss the economics of climate change at the OECD Ministerial Council Meeting on 4-5 June 2008.
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15:00
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Conclusion: Chair's Summary
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15:15
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End of the Meeting
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15:15-16:00
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Press Conference
(Secretary-General, Chair and Vice-Chairs)
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See also the Agenda and Issues Paper.
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