Papua New Guinea Prime Minister James Marape has called on the big carbon emitters of the world to own up and apologise to small island states including PNG who are victims of climate change.
He made the call in his PNG Country Statement to the General Debate of the 76th Session of the United General Assembly on Friday the 24th of September.
“I call to all – especially big carbon emitting nations who are now enjoying their nation’s economic transformations through industrialisation to pause and think and save our planet Earth.
“We have a collective responsibility to take action to save the earth.
“It is the survival of the earth we must take action on now.
“I want to make this statement. Enough talk. We have to take action now to commensurate to the volume of emissions from our industries.
“Leaders of the big carbon emitting nations must lead the global effort to rebalancing the environmental equilibrium.
He urged all nations of the earth to unite and save planet earth.
“We must rise up and save planet earth,” he said.
PM Marape further advocated for developed countries to commit US$100 billion annually to developing countries to assist by sustaining their natural resources to lessen carbon emissions to the ozone layer.
He said PNG which is part of the Blue Pacific Ocean is home to marine and terrestrial biodiversity and is where the most vulnerable small island states are being exposed to global threats and rise in sea level and to climate change and the health and the associate economic woes brought about by the COVID – 19 pandemic.
“I speak for Papua New Guinea but the issues will no doubt resonate with the small island states.
“Our oceanic homes and way of life is intertwined with the ecosystem in its natural equilibrium. The equilibrium is now affected by human influence not of our making.
“As we speak children nd families living near the seas are in fear and uncertain of what their future will be,” PM Marape told the UNGA.
Meanwhile, speaking via video link from New Zealand, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern urged world leaders to give the highest priority to reducing emissions.
“Any global response that fails to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees above pre-industrial levels is unacceptable,” she said.
She said climate change was “one of the most pervasive crises of our time”.
“The impacts are global in scope, unprecedented in scale and happening right now,” she said.
“Climate change touches all of our lives but countries in the Pacific are some of the most affected, despite having contributed least to the problem.”
“Pacific leaders view climate change as the single greatest threat to the livelihoods, security, and wellbeing of the peoples of the region,” she said.
SOURCE: PNG TODAY/ABC/PACNEWS
