Climate Change Remains the Top Priority for Pacific

Host: The 42nd Pacific Islands Forum Leaders Meeting was held in Auckland this September. The top priority of this forum is the issue of climate change, which has already been affecting this region. Specifically, what steps were taken at this forum to address climate change?

Sam Savou: I think from the leaders meeting that was held in Auckland on the 42nd leaders meeting and the 40th anniversary of Pacific Islands Forum leaders, there were several outcomes of that that came out to the community. And one of it was climate change. In climate change, the leaders reaffirmed that climate change remains the single biggest threat for the Pacific countries’ livelihoods, security and well-being of the people of the Pacific. Particularly, in the sense that the Pacific Islands contributes the least greenhouse emission, but it would be suffering one of the most from the effects of climate change. And that is one of the biggest factors that we are facing. Some of our countries in the Pacific now, seeing the effects of climate change, and it’s not something that is in the future, it’s something that is happening now on the ground.