AIPI President Professor Satryo Soemantri Brodjonegoro,
Distinguished colleagues,
It gives me great pleasure to deliver this statement at the Launching of Science20 or S20. I congratulate Indonesia for assuming the G20 Presidency.
COVID-19 pandemic has significant socio-economic impact which has been further compounded with climate related extreme events.
In this regard, may I convey the following key messages for building our resilience:
First, countries are ill-prepared to deal with multiple overlapping and cascading crisis and risk. It is estimated by ESCAP that if we do nothing, then under the worst-case climate change scenario, annual economic losses could rise to $1.3 trillion, or 4.2 per cent of the region’s GDP.
Second, we note that annual adaptation costs under the same worst-case climate scenario could amount to $270 billion, equivalent to 0.85per cent of regional GDP, significantly less than the estimated annual economic losses.
Recognizing the growing nexus of disaster, climate and health, we support and encourage countries to strengthen resilience through the Bangkok Principles of the health aspects of the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030.
It has been recognize the priority in this regard to deepen policymakers’ understanding of cascading risks from the disaster-climate-health nexus and provide solutions through key adaptation measures.
The capacity for managing disasters and public health emergencies to respond to these converging risks is key to recover from the COVID-19 and prepare better for the climate crisis.
I wish you a very successful event.
Thank you very much.
