PRIME Minister James Marape says there must be less talk and more action on climate change by industrialised nations.
He made this clear in no uncertain terms today (Tuesday September 21 September in NYC, Wednesday September 22 in PNG) in New York City when addressing a Virtual Pacific islands’ Roundtable Meeting at the invitation of United States’ President’s Special Envoy for Climate John Kerry and Under Secretary of State Victoria Nuland.
Kerry concurred with PM Marape saying, “I understand your frustration and we all feel it”.
“I am as tired of the rhetoric as you are,” he told PM Marape.
“We need action.”
The meeting was held on the sidelines of the United Nations’ General Assembly (UNGA) in New York which PM Marape will address on Thursday and Friday.
PM Marape arrived in New York this morning after an 18-hour flight from Singapore and went straight into business, meeting first with COP26 President Alok Sharma to discuss the COP26 Climate Change Agenda, and then addressing the virtual meeting.
He told Kerry: “I feel that we’ve been talking too much on these sorts of issues (climate change).
“Pacific nations are feeling the real effects of climate change, islands are being lost, sea level is rising, and sometimes these sorts of conversations keep on going on.
“We are the least, in terms of our carbon footprint on the face of Planet Earth, yet we are the most-affected.”
PM Marape commended the leadership of US President Joe Biden and Kerry in addressing the climate change issue.
“The industrialised nations must take lead, step out and assist us in finding solutions, instead of continuing to go on and on in the circle of conversation (on climate change),” he said.
“We must take stock of where we are, in as far as our commitment to climate change issues are concerned.”
PM Marape said he was happy to see President Biden address the issue in his address to the UNGA today.
He said Biden’s address showed that the US was taking the lead in addressing the climate change issue.
“For us in the Pacific, where many small island states are, this is no academic conversation,” PM
Marape said.
“This is life-threatening for us.
“Our small island states are totally exposed and vulnerable to this issue (of climate change).”
The Prime Minister said Papua New Guinea already had “climate change refugees”.
“We (Pacific Island nations) are victims here sitting and talking with you,” he told Kerry.
“You must offer us solutions.
“We’ve been in this conversation for many years.”
PM Marape said technology should be used to help people affected by climate change and not relocate them elsewhere.