COP26

In light of the weekend’s conclusion of the Cop26 climate summit in Glasgow, those challenges will get more difficult, Kean has now predicted.

“Glasgow just accelerated where the market was already going,” he said. “The fossil fuel industry is going to find it harder to get insurance, raise capital or refinance their operations.”

Although countries only agreed to "phase down" rather than "phase out" coal, the prime minister said this was a fantastic achievement.

The wording change was made after a late intervention by China and India.

But it remains the first time plans to reduce coal have been mentioned in such a climate deal.

The agreement was reached after the two-week Glasgow COP26 summit went into overtime on Saturday.

Critics have said the deal does not go far enough and will not meet the key summit goal of limiting global warming to 1.5C by the end of the century.

Only a handful of female leaders including New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern are on the United Nations' climate panel.

The others include German chancellor Angela Merkel, Barbados' president Mia Mottley, Iceland's prime minister Katrin Jakobsdottir, Estonian prime minister Kaja Kallas and the head of UN Climate Change Patricia Espinosa.

Many governments claim that 45 percent of their COP26 teams are women.

He said to secure PNG’s national interest at international meetings like COP26, it comes at a significant cost to Government, hence since arrival in Glasgow and had reminded the delegation to be mindful of taxpayers expense and meaningfully participate, at the COP26 and related meetings.

“This is to ensure whatever assistance is secured at high-level meetings with interested investors, complements PNG's overall climate change adaptation and mitigation objectives,” Minister Mori said.

The Prime Minister was responding to a recent article in the press that brought to light the costs involved in sending the officials to Glasgow. He said everyone who is at the summit, is attending to related meetings sanctioned by the National Executive Council, given that PNG’s climate change agenda is different than most nations. The Prime Minister said PNG is targeting an economic return for our forest and oceans in not just the main COP 26 meeting, but other high-level meetings which are running alongside the main summit.

The EU's Ambassador to the Pacific, Sujiro Seam, who's at the UN Climate Conference, said all stakeholders lobbied for an ambitious outcome and accessibility to climate funding.

Mr Seam said the EU will need to show the Pacific how best it can support the implementation of the recently adopted Climate Change Act.

"This is a package of available financing of 197 million Euros, almost 500 million Fijian dollars for the Years 2021 to 2027. This will be implemented in the countries of the Pacific with a very strong focus on climate change."

Surangel Whipps junior was speaking on the second and final day of the leaders summit in Glasgow, Scotland.

Because of the pandemic Mr Whipps is one of only four Pacific Islands leaders to make it to the climate negotiations, the others being Tuvalu, Fiji and Papua New Guinea.

"Our resources are disappearing before our eyes and our future is being robbed from us. Frankly speaking there is no dignity to a slow and painful death. You might as well bomb our islands instead of making us suffer only to witness our slow and fateful demise."

In a video message, she said many people hoped the "time for words has now moved to the time for action".

She urged them to act "for our children and our children's children" and "rise above the politics of the moment".

The Queen added she took "great pride" in how her "dear late husband" Prince Philip promoted environmental issues.

The 95-year-old monarch had been scheduled to attend the United Nations conference in Glasgow. But she pre-recorded her address last week at Windsor Castle after being advised to rest following medical checks.

A report by the UN World Meteorological Organization (WMO) showed carbon dioxide levels surged to 413.2 parts per million in 2020, rising more than the average rate over the last decade despite a temporary dip in emissions during Covid-19 lockdowns.

WMO Secretary-General Petteri Taalas said the current rate of increase in heat-trapping gases would result in temperature rises "far in excess" of the 2015 Paris Agreement target of 1.5 degrees Celsius above the pre-industrial average this century.

His comments are directed to the delegation that is preparing to attend meeting in Glasgow, Scotland, at the end of this month.

“From our perspective as Papua New Guineans we do not want to go there as victims. We want to go there as partners offering a solution to the world and not just running around with a bucket begging for help. I really think, we have something to offer the world,” said Governor Bird.

Governor Bird said the delegation must make the world understand the dynamics of our country.