SUVA, March 16 (Xinhua) -- Fijian Prime Minister Voreqe Bainimarama urged on Tuesday the Commonwealth nations to make a stronger commitment to combating climate change in the buildup to the upcoming 26th United Nations Conference of Parties on Climate Change (COP26), which will take place in Britain in November this year.
According to a Fijian government statement on Tuesday night, while delivering a statement at the first virtual Commonwealth Parliamentary Forum on Climate Change, Bainimarama called for stronger commitment and collaboration among the Commonwealth nations in driving comprehensive action to combat climate change and realization of the future towards net-zero emissions and resilient societies.
Elaborating on the important role that Commonwealth parliamentarians play in the realization of climate actions, Bainimarama said that "When we unite behind the hard work of forging common ground, we provide a foundation for global cooperation and wide-reaching change. If we don't all commit to carbon-neutrality; if we fail the most climate-vulnerable among our number; what sort of example are we setting for the world?
"The most recent reporting from the United Nations shows just how badly off-track we are from the commitments we need to achieve the 1.5- degree Celsius target of the Paris Agreement. COP26 - and the commitments it demands - cannot come soon enough. We need decisive cuts in carbon emissions by 2030 that set us on the path to net-zero emissions by 2050. And we need that ambition backed by action, in a manner that is accountable to our community of nations. As Fiji has championed time and again, we must also recognize the role that our oceans play in regulating our climate, and preserve them as pillars of our global Blue economy," he said.
Bainimarama also mentioned the challenges faced by Fiji in relation to climate change.
"Since the closure of our borders last year, Fiji has endured cyclones Harold, Yasa and Ana. The one-two punch of a global economic crisis and a continuing climate emergency has been brutal. We are building back better in any and every way that we can. But that good work hinges on a global economic recovery that is not only inclusive, but which transforms the way our multilateral system confronts global challenges."
The prime minister also said that Fiji's commitment to plant 30 million trees in 15 years and sustainably manage all 1.3 million square kilometers of its ocean by 2030 could very well mean Fiji becomes a carbon-negative society in the not-too-distant future.
As one of the victims of climate change, Fiji was the first country to ratify the Paris Agreement as well as the first small island state to lead the climate negotiations as Fiji held the President of the 23rd Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP23). Now Fiji is among the nations committed to net-zero emissions by 2050. Enditem