KEY POINTS:
APIA - Kevin Rudd's decision to ratify the Kyoto Protocol is one that will have a tremendous impact on Samoa and the Pacific, Samoa's prime minister has said.
Hon. Tuilaepa Sailele Malielegaoi told Samoan media: "The signature of Australia to Kyoto means that our fight against the impacts of Climate Change in the Pacific will be greatly improved."
Mr Tuilaepa said although the Howard government did not sign Kyoto, it did comply with conditions of the protocol.
He said: "The only difference is that Howard did not sign it, but they were doing everything else."
However, Mr Tuilaepa applauded the decision by Rudd and hoped that the United States of America would follow suit in signing Kyoto.
"Samoa is imposing methods now that other countries have yet to consider, we are advanced in our thinking in regards to Climate Change," he said.
According to Mr Tuilaepa, Samoa is making significant progress in curbing the impacts of Climate Change that will be praised in years to come.
"Years from now, your great grandchildren will look back and praise the efforts of the Samoan Government in fighting Climate Change," he said.
But Samoa's delegation to the Climate Change meeting in Bali has been silent about their participation.
Attended by Minister of Natural Resource and Environment, Hon. Faumuina Tiatia Liuga the delegation left Samoa without a Press Conference or Press Release on the issues they put forth in the meeting.
Australia's ratification of the Kyoto Protocol has only harnessed Samoa's commitment to the issue, according to Tuilaepa.
"This is a very important step for the Pacific, that Australia has signed Kyoto," he said.
This was supported by the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP) in Samoa.
"This would simply serve to strengthen further the partnership that Australia and the Pacific have in their joint commitment towards action on climate change," said Bruce Chapman, Programme Manager of Pacific Futures Programme (PFP) in SPREP.
"In this light, Australia 's ratification of Kyoto will certainly be of great welcome to the global effort towards combating climate change," Mr. Chapman said.
To date, 13 Pacific Island Countries have ratified the Kyoto Protocol.
They are Cook Islands, Fiji , Kiribati , Marshall Islands , Federated States of Micronesia , Nauru , Niue , Palau , Papua New Guinea , Samoa , Solomon Islands , Tuvalu , and Vanuatu.
According to SPREP, 14 Pacific Island Countries (PICs) have ratified the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).
SPREP said Pacific Island Countries were firmly committed to dealing with climate change and had been active for more than a decade.
"PICs now in participating at the global level on climate change negotiations through the UNFCCC Conference of the Parties, and at other forums where they have made known to the rest of the world their vulnerability to sea-level rise, and the challenges that will be faced in adapting to climate change impacts," Mr Chapman said.
The Pacific Futures Programme are supporting member countries and territories with sustainable development policies for improved environmental governance, paving the way for implementation mechanisms and resources at the national and community level.
According to Mr Chapman, the programme assists Pacific Island Countries to adapt to the realities of a changing climate while at the same time working to ensure that the developed countries recognize the needs of vulnerable countries such as those in the Pacific.
Mr Rudd has already committed a significant part of his proposed budget to assist the Pacific in the area of Climate Change.
According to a Press Statement by the Australian Labor Party (ALP), A$150 million from Australia's international aid budget will be used "to assist our neighbours prepare for and adapt to the effects of climate change."
The statement continued: "Given the large number of small, low elevation islands in the southwest Pacific, the impact of climate change on migration patterns in our own region is very real. Tuvalu has already begun negotiating migration rights with New Zealand as a result of climate change. "
Some of Australia's efforts targeting Pacific island countries include the funding of adaptation plans in each country and the establishment of a Pacific Climate Change Strategy.
- NEWSLINE
