Excerpt and Photo from islandsbusiness.com
Papua New Guinea will not attend the 29th United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change Conference of Parties (UNFCCC COP29) this year.
Foreign Affairs Minister Justin Tkatchenko announced it at the Commonwealth Ministerial Meeting on Small State (CMMSS) in Apia, Samoa, last week.
Tkatchenko said: “Papua New Guinea is making this stand for the benefit of all small island nations. We will no longer tolerate empty promises and inaction, while our people suffer the devastating consequences of climate change.”
He highlighted the various ways climate change is ravaging PNG, from rising sea levels and natural disasters to landslides, floods, and droughts.
“Yet, despite contributing little to the global climate crisis, countries like PNG are left grappling with its severe impacts,” Tkatchenko said.