Climate Change Action Now - H.E. Lionel Aingimea, President of Nauru
Closing statement (as Forum 2020 Troika)
Kainaki II to COP 26 – Pacific Islands Forum High-Level Roundtable on Urgent Climate Change Action
Thank you Dame Meg, I would like to thank the Right Honorable Alok Sharma, the COP President Designate. His presence with us today was a demonstration of genuine partnership and commitment of the United Kingdom to bring Pacific priorities to the fore at COP 26.
Allow me also to thank my fellow Forum leaders and all our Forum Dialogue partners and special guests for coming together across the globe for the Kainaki Lua to COP 26 Roundtable. It speaks strongly to the level of priority and urgency we have given to this climate change crisis.
Indeed, our whole blue planet is facing an unprecedented global catastrophe. And for us here in the Pacific, the situation is becoming dire. The shared prosperity and security of our blue Pacific can only safely exist if we are fully committed to limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees within this decade.
We have already hit 1.2 degrees Celsius, which is already resulting in severe climatic events that are wreaking havoc on the Pacific region and across the globe. The past decade was the hottest in human history. Ocean heat is at record levels, dioxide levels are at a record high and rising.
There is no disputing the size or the impacts that we have experienced which will most likely worsen if we continue on this trajectory.
As we pass the five year anniversary of the Paris Agreement 12 December, keep in your mind and in your heart one critical message from the blue Pacific. We need ambitious climate change action, now. Not five, ten or 15 years into the future, but immediately if we are to secure our children's future.
This generation of world leaders, of business leaders, of citizens has the opportunity to make the necessary policy and behavioral change to protect our planet and way of life.
All countries without caveats must take decisive and transformative action to reduce global emissions and ensure at- scale mitigation adaptation support for those countries that need it.
COVID-19 must not be a reason to delay action but rather used as an opportunity to reset our global development agenda to one that is climate- smart and leaves no one behind.
As a blue Pacific we reaffirm the calls of our Kainaki Lua Declaration for urgent climate change action now. As we look towards COP 26, next November, we must deliver revised enhanced NDCs and mid- century low emissions development strategies consistent with the 1.5 degrees pathway.
We must achieve simplified access to climate finance in the global finance commitment of 100 billion per year. We must ensure dedicated financing for loss and damage associated with climate change impacts.
And finally, we must progress work on the ocean -climate nexus under the UNFCCC to deliver tangible and meaningful outcomes that are expected by our people. As one blue Pacific, we're maintaining our collective solidarity. With your support our dialogue partners and special guests, we can drive the momentum on ocean climate change action now and deliver the 1.5 degrees Celsius pathway.
We must act with conviction, we must raise our ambition. We must match ambition with action.
I wish you all a Merry Christmas and God bless you all. Thank you.--ENDS
