BAKU, Azerbaijan, December 9. COP29 in Baku
made a giant step ahead in local weather financing and we have to hold
momentum going, President of the Republic of Palau Surangel Samuel
Whipps Jr. stated in an unique interview with Development.
“Initially, congratulations to Azerbaijan for internet hosting COP29,
which was great. It created a chance for the world to
come collectively. It was a finance COP, it was about elevating funds,
lastly, to get issues carried out. After all, we all know that what we’d like
is far bigger than $300 billion. However what we now have to have a look at is
getting the primary $100 billion took a very long time. And now at the very least
we now have commitments to triple to convey it to $300 billion. However the
objective is $1.3 trillion. That is what wanted to essentially make sure that we
keep beneath 1.5 and we hold these islands which might be sinking alive. We
should work collectively to be sure that this turns into a actuality,” he
stated.
President Whipps pointed that the highway forward continues to be lengthy and
it is going to require philanthropists, developed international locations, bigger
companies, giant emitters, multilateral improvement banks, all
working collectively in making certain that “we’re in a position to increase our
ambition and finally attain the $1.3 trillion objective that we had
set”.
“We’re very grateful that the Loss and Harm Fund was in a position to
be totally operationalized and hopefully the monetary flows will
begin to start as a result of finally that is what we’re after. I feel
one of many challenges that small islands have is accessing these
funds. A number of commitments are made, however principally they find yourself being
used within the developed international locations or they aren’t reached for small
islands. Understanding our vulnerabilities and understanding the
distinctive circumstances is necessary for us to have the ability to notice that
and totally take part in addressing these impacts that all of us
face,” stated Palau’s president.
On the carbon markets, President Whipps believes that the
constructing blocks have been achieved to start that.
“That features the settlement by all events to entry registry
programs. And as soon as once more, that is additionally a problem that we now have
restricted talents and we now have to proceed to work on that to
enhance upon it. However I feel general, the aim of COPs is to
convey us collectively to proceed transferring ahead and make financing
out there to assist mitigate and adapt,” stated President Whipps.
Baku breakthrough
“What’s most necessary is that we made progress. I need to
congratulate the COP29 presidency for with the ability to ship a
finance COP and offering finance. We have to proceed to concentrate on
local weather finance. I feel the $300 billion is a giant step, and we
want to acknowledge that extra is required. We have to proceed to be
formidable, and to work along with all events to proceed to
advance in these areas,” he stated.
Palau’s president recalled how the world labored collectively to
tackle COVID-19.
“We shut down the world. We spent billions of {dollars} with
vaccines. That is the dedication we have to fight local weather change.
We’re hoping that that is the start. Like a snowball, it wants
momentum. We have began the snowball on prime of the mountain. Now it
simply wants to realize momentum and get greater and greater and actually
obtain the outcomes that we’re all hoping for,” famous President
Whipps.
Making international locations accountable for implementation of
local weather commitments
“We have to use all of the UN regimes to see the excessive final result of
what we are attempting to do. We’ve the UNFCCC course of, nevertheless it
should not simply cease there. It ought to be all avenues inside the UN.
We should be worldwide authorized devices to carry
international locations accountable. The international locations within the Pacific have joined
collectively on what we name Fee of Small Island States on
Local weather Change and Worldwide Legislation (COSIS) to get a choice from
the Worldwide Court docket of Justice (ICJ) to carry emitters
accountable. We’ve to have a look at all avenues to boost accountability
and to essentially drive the specified outcomes that all of us want,” stated
Palau’s president.
He identified that it isn’t nearly small islands.
“Whereas I used to be in Baku, I understood that water ranges of the
Caspian Sea are declining due to local weather change. So, that is
not only a small island drawback, it is all of our drawback. And what
we need to do is use all of the totally different regimes to make sure that we’re
all on the identical monitor,” stated President Whipps.
Strengthening worldwide partnership in combating
local weather disaster
“Most significantly, we now have a dedication of $300 billion. Now the
query is, how does that really get out to small islands? How
does it start to implement significant tasks that basically make a
distinction in reaching our targets? Relating to the Pacific,
initially, we now have what we name the 2050 Technique for the Blue
Pacific Continent. We’re hoping that this funding goes to satisfy the
technique that we have laid out. A part of that Blue Pacific Continent
Technique, one of many areas that we now have begun and we launched at
COP28 within the United Arab Emirates (UAE) was what we name the
Unlocking Blue Pacific Prosperity Plan. That’s pushed on the very fact
that we imagine that wholesome oceans imply wholesome planet.
To do this, we now have to do a mixture of issues. Which means
100% administration of our ocean assets, have designated areas that
we totally shield to make sure that they keep wholesome, resilient,
as a result of in the event that they’re wholesome, they regulate the local weather. It is
necessary for the entire world,” he stated.
However on the identical time, as President Whipps famous, it’s also
necessary to construct sustainable makes use of of that ocean.
“We did match for function financing to make sure that defending our
biodiversity, optimizing using these assets, including worth
to the system can actually encourage sustainable use. And that, of
course, results in wholesome oceans, that are important to us. The
different plan can also be the regional programmatic method for local weather
motion. That is actually ensuring that we now have financing on the market
to do these different actions. And the final one is the Pacific
Resilience Facility that was additionally launched final yr. That is
offering funding to assist Pacific Islands be extra resilient within the
face of disasters and challenges that we’re having already from
local weather change.
The query is how will we get the assets, the commitments of
$300 billion into these plans to really do the work that is wanted
to make sure that we now have sustainable use of our assets, however on the
identical time, to make sure that we now have wholesome oceans, which result in a
wholesome planet and helps fight local weather change,” stated Palau’s
president.
In conclusion, President Whipps thanked the individuals of Azerbaijan
and the president of Azerbaijan for internet hosting COP and having a
profitable COP.
“We look ahead to COP30. And let’s hold the momentum going,”
he added.
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