Help sought to address rising seas
The National, Copyright 2000
December 4, 2000
PAPUA NEW GUINEA needed to take a strong and pro-active approach to the problems of global warming, and rising sea level, if it wanted to secure international assistance to help address the consequences of both, says Kokopo MP Sir Rabbie Namaliu.
Sir Rabbie said parts of his electorate, especially the Duke of York Islands, and other areas in the Islands Region, were already feeling the effects of rising sea levels and global warming, with the sea level rising at the same time as the Pacific Plate under the Duke of York Group is sliding into the Bismark and Solomon Plates.
"The problems of global warming and rising sea levels come at the same time as high-level volcanic and earthquake activity is badly damaging our region," he said.
Sir Rabbie said Papua New Guinea needed to demonstrate that it was serious about helping reduce the damage to the ozone layer, and the consequences of that damage.
"We need a massive forest planting programme, to replace the forests destroyed by excessive timber industry development, and we need to look very seriously at the whole forest felling programme which is continuing," he said.
"I am sure that donor countries and agencies, and the world environment movement under the Kyoto Protocol to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, will be prepared to assist with a massive forest planting programme, a programme which can directly benefit our villages, as well as the environment," he said.
"Our environmental record is bad in many areas, and we must improve that record if we are to receive international assistance," he said.
Sir Rabbie said the East New Britain Provincial Government was already moving to re-locate communities suffering the impact of rising seas and earthquakes and volcanic eruptions.
"The provincial government, with my full support, is really facing up to its responsibilities, but it is going to need assistance to meet the high cost of relocating whole communities," he said.
"I am very confident that if we demonstrate a genuine commitment to helping address the causes of global warming and rising seas, we will get the international assistance we need," Sir Rabbie said.
"The task of addressing all of these problems will stretch our resources beyond the limited funds the national and provincial governments have access to."
"We are going to need support - but we won't get that support unless we demonstrate a commitment to address the basic problem - the damage we are doing to our environment through the destruction of our forests."