We, the participants from 6 countries in the Asia-Pacific region held APNEC 8 in Sydney, Australia, from 22nd to 25th November 2007. We have discussed several environmental issues, especially focussing on sustainable society and climate change.

1. We recognized the importance of environmental governance at the local level and networking among members of the Asia-Pacific Environmental Council (AEC) towards sustainable society. We should learn lessons from the experience of all countries, especially Japan and Korea. We must develop a new vision for the next phase of AEC.

2. We note with concern the following trends in the implementation of the 1992 Framework Convention of Climate Change and the subsequent Kyoto Protocol which expires in 2012. There have been very few concrete steps taken by countries of the world to reduce green house gas emissions, which continue to increase at an alarming level. Unless there is an urgent and serious effort to reduce drastically the emission of these gases on a global basis, the consequences on the climate of the world will be irreversible. The time for debate and indecision has now passed and urgent action must be taken.

Therefore we proclaim:

(1) All countries, especially in the Asia-Pacific region, must treat the issue of global climate change with the utmost urgency.

(2) All countries must put aside narrow national self interest and support the efforts of a new post-Kyoto agreement to implement the Convention on Global Climate Change to address the challenge in a fundamental way.

(3) APNEC supports all those concerned citizens and NGOs mobilising to ensure that their own countries adopt all necessary steps to implement the agreements of the post Kyoto agreement.

Sydney, 24th November, 2007