“I speak as an islander who has walked the shores of many atoll islands, where there was once sandy beaches and coconut trees. Now there are none. I am told this will continue,” President Peter Christian of Micronesia told the Assembly on the fourth day of its 70th annual General Debate.
“While we wait in fear for the predicted and inevitable sea level to rise, other effects of global warming, like stronger ocean currents and more frequent typhoons, continue to wash away shorelines and topple tress, not waiting around for the sea to rise above the land.”
Mr. Christian voiced hope that the international climate change conference in Paris in December would resolve the disagreements over allowable emissions of greenhouse gases by industrial nations.
“We must become more cohesive in our actions to bring a useful conclusion to help mitigate the threat of sinking islands and prevent the potential genocide of Oceanic peoples and cultures,” he declared.
Solomon Islands’ Prime Minister Manasseh Sogovare said the issue was existential. “It impacts on everyone, but the poorest and marginalized populations often bear the greatest burden. It is imperative that the Paris Conference delivers an ambitious, comprehensive and robust climate change Agreement that is inclusive and leaves no one behind,” he added.
He noted that Solomon Islands tourism, fisheries and the livelihood of 85 per cent of its people are at risk from ocean acidification. Sea level rise already has seen land inundation, loss of biodiversity, threat to food security and the resulting relocation of populations from low lying islands to other parts of the country.......http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=52118#.Vg4FQ30pr2Y
1/10/15
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