22 March 2010, New York - The Pacific Small Island Developing States ("Pacific SIDS") today called for a legally binding agreement on climate change in 2010. Speaking at the United Nations conference "Water for LIfe," the Pacific countries highlighted the serious impacts climate change is having on water security in their region and the urgent need for international action. This in contrast to statements made in past weeks by representatives of some developed countries, and others that a binding agreement would not be ready by the next round of climate change negotiations in Cancun this December, but would likely have to wait until 2011. The Pacific SIDS called for the international community to increase efforts to respond to the climate crisis, as the survival of their island nations is at stake.
Fresh water supplies in the Pacific are already extremely vulnerable to climatic variation. Many Pacific island nations faced severe water shortages during the strong La Niña event in 1998, which decimated agricultural production through out the region and caused a partial shutdown of the tourism industry in some countries. In their Fourth Assessment Report, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change noted that climate change is likely to seriously compromise the water situation in small islands,
The Chair of the Pacific SIDS, Ambassador Moses, Permanent Representative of Nauru to the UN said, " Water scarcity is a reality in our region and climate change will lead to increased droughts. The prospect for the future of many of our islands is alarming as water shortages lead to forced displacement. Some of our people literally have nowhere to go."
Climate change is also projected to increase the intensity and frequency of extreme weather events. The Pacific is a highly disaster prone region. Two cyclones struck the the Pacific last week - cyclone Thomas in Fiji and cyclone Ului in the Solomon Islands. Many initiatives are underway in the Pacific to prepare for disasters, but significant challenges remain in accessing funding to increase early response mechanisms and improving post disaster support for reconstruction.
"Yet the greatest challenge we face is an adequate international response to climate change. We need the international community not to be fearful from what happened in Copenhagen, but to increase our efforts to work together to ensure an ambitious legally binding outcome from the two track process under the Bali Action Plan in Mexico at the end of this year," said Ambassador Moses.
The Pacific SIDS also have concerns about the lack of progress on the fast track financing that was pledged at the meeting in Copenhagen.
The Pacific SIDS work together at the United Nations to raise issues unique to the countries in their region. The Pacific SIDS comprises the missions of Fiji, Federated States of Micronesia, Marshall Islands, Nauru, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu and Vanuatu.
Media Contact:
Teall Crossen
Legal Adviser
Permanent Mission of Nauru
teall.crossen@gmail.com
212 518 7047
ENDS.