Johnny
Blades RNZ Pacific senior journalist
Papua New
Guinea has committed around US$5.5 million (K$25m) to Tuvalu
over five years in aid of its coastal reclamation
efforts.
PNG’s Prime Minister James Marape made the
announcement at the Pre-COP31 climate meeting in
Tuvalu.
Speaking at a joint press conference with
Tuvaluan Prime Minister Feleti Teo in Funafuti, Marape
confirmed that funding would be allocated from each annual
budget over the five-year term.
He said climate change
is playing out in real time in the atoll nation, and that
even a relatively small amount of investment will make a
significant difference.
“It would buy them two or
three more generations of life, if they buy ten soccer
fields in land reclamations where ever you can,” Marape
said.
Tuvalu consists of low-lying atolls encompassing
a total land mass of 26 square kilometres, making the
country highly exposed to sea level rise and environmental
degradation.
“Let’s rally behind them (Tuvalu), let’s
help them preserve their sovereignty, and let’s move on in
this instead of going to COPs with no serious commitments,”
Marape said.
‘Talk fests’
Teo acknowledged
PNG’s contribution, stating that the financial resources
will be utilised to secure the island nation’s highly
vulnerable coast line.
But he noted that while
international bodies recently adopted a political
declaration on sea level rise at the UN General Assembly,
declarations alone cannot physically fix eroding coastlines
without substantial capital.
Advertisement – scroll to continue reading
Marape also criticised
the lack of actionable progress at global climate forums,
referring to them as “talk fests” with few serious
commitments.
He said he would not attend the global
COP-31 summit in Türkiye next month, choosing instead to
focus resources on regional solidarity and localised
adaptation projects.
The PNG leader also issued a
formal appeal to industrialised nations, including the
United States. China, Japan, India, and the United Kingdom,
to provide direct financial assistance to small island
states facing immediate existential threats.
Target
call
Australia’s Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said
the Pacific cannot afford to lose sight of the 1.5 degrees
Celcius target as rising seas, extreme weather and El Niño
conditions intensify across the region.
Albanese has
been in Tuvalu and Fiji attending the Pre-COP climate
meetings with other leaders from the Pacific
region.
The Post-Courier reports him saying
Pacific nations must convert their shared concern about
climate change into collective action.
He argues the
1.5 degrees target on global warming remains vital as sea
levels rise and extreme weather worsens.
Albanese said
Pacific leaders should speak with a united voice to demand
stronger global action ahead of
COP31.
New Zealand’s public broadcaster, providing comprehensive NZ news and current affairs, specialist audio features and documentaries.
Radio New Zealand is a Crown entity established under the Radio New Zealand Act 1995. Radio New Zealand News are vital elements in our programming, providing impartial news and information to New Zealanders every day. Radio New Zealand (RNZ) provides listeners with exciting and independent radio programmes in accordance with the Radio New Zealand Charter.
