By Eric Haurupma – EM TV, Port Moresby
US Ambassador to Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands and Vanuatu, Walter North, said the US Government will provide resilience measures to address climate issues in the Pacific.
Mr North spoke to EMTV yesterday and said that over 17 trillion US Dollars, equivalent to about K200 trillion, has been allocated by the US Government to be spent on driving clean energy campaigns.
The allocated funds will go towards carrying out clean energy campaigns and the installation of adaptation measures specifically aimed at countering the effects of climate change.
He said, under President Obama’s leadership, the United States has widened its engagement in PNG and the Pacific, with a vision to deliver sustainable, inclusive and transparent economic growth… however climate is a treat in that vision.
“PNG’s biological and cultural diversity however, the impediments at the helm in the face of this wealth are inequality and poverty,” North said.
He said whether the climate change issues of severe drought, king tide, flood of other disasters associated with the effects of climate change, this is having a significant impact on the poor people.
Despite the United States refusal to sign the Kyoto Protocol in 1997 in Japan, aimed at addressing climate change issues, the US Government is now actively involved in reducing harmful gas emissions.
North said, the US Carbon Policy and pollution control efforts has reduced carbon emissions over the last two decades.
The US ambassador said President of USA, Barack Obama, will push for the following agendas come the Paris Accord.
- The agreement must reflect ambitious climate targets of countries
- A frame work must be in placed to regulate harmful gas emissions until the end of the century
- Provide financial and technical support to poorest and most vulnerable countries many of which are in the Pacific
https://youtube.com/watch?v=PQEzBLPwgR8%3Ffeature%3Doembed%26wmode%3Dopaque%26showinfo%3D0%26showsearch%3D0%26rel%3D0
