Minister for Environment, Conservation and Climate Change, Wera Mori has told global leaders affiliated to the Coalition of Rainforest Nations, that it is time to take action on climate change.
The two-day virtual meeting is a lead up to the COP26 Conference on Rainforest of Nations in Glasgow, Scotland in November this year.
Minister Mori said PNG has become a victim of climate change, an issue that we did not create.
The Carteret Islanders in Bougainville are the first climate change refugees in the world. The rising sea levels have forced them to leave their island to resettle on the mainland.
“Enough of talking, we are graduating from one accord to another and it is about time we take action. We became a victim of situations and problems we did not create,” he said.
Minister Mori said going forward the leaders must collectively look at ways to scale up adaptation measures.
“In PNG we host about a per cent of global landmass in which we host 7 per cent of biodiversity. We have to protect it.”
He urged leaders of the developed countries to assist countries in the Pacific region including PNG in implementing measures in tackling rising sea levels and climate change.