On the afternoon of Wednesday, November 13, 2024, at around 5pm PNG Local Time (7am United Kingdom Time), Prime Minister Hon. James Marape was virtually interviewed live on BBC World News where he spoke on climate change-related issues and explained why Papua New Guinea is not attending the Conference of the Parties (COP29) Meeting currently being held in Baku, Azerbaijan.

Prime Minister Marape expressed a strong stand for forest conservation, as he clarified PNG’s decision not to be present at COP29, with PM Marape saying his Government will not tolerate empty promises and inaction at COP anymore, while people in Papua New Guinea continue to suffer the devastating consequences of climate change.

“We’ve been talking a lot about climate change-related issues. There’s no commitment on the table, especially by those who hold the biggest carbon footprint. Those who hold the biggest carbon footprint, whether they are nations or industries, there is no serious commitment towards shutting down fossil fuel energy sources and preserving our forests.

“It is to this backdrop that causes me not to attend COP29. With the greatest respect to the organising, host nation – nothing against them – but on the principle that big, industrialised nations are not serious in putting down money where the mouth is, committing to keeping temperature (global) below 1.5 Degree Celsius, switching off any fossil fuel-fired electricity and energy sources and transiting to cleaner energy alternates, as well as the greatest thing in my view – preserving of forests. It is our forests that keep our earth in its natural state,” PM Marape told the BBC.

In a separate interview following the BBC interview, the Prime Minister has expressed concern that despite Papua New Guinea being on the front lines of the climate emergency, it receives zero climate finance for its rainforests which suck carbon out of the atmosphere for the world. He says: “The pledges made by major polluters amount to nothing more than empty talk.”

Given the COP primary goals of;

– Reviewing progress on climate change mitigation and adaptation efforts;

– Setting new goals and commitments to reduce greenhouse gas emissions;

– Fostering international cooperation and climate governance; and

– Addressing climate change impacts and vulnerabilities.

Prime Minister Marape says Papua New Guinea has shown climate leadership on its path since it signed the Paris Agreement, reducing deforestation by 53 percent since 2015.

He says: “We proposed a system for all rainforest nations to protect their rainforests to help the world. Results-based payments are promised under the Paris Agreement. To this day, we haven’t received a dime for that effort. In PNG, land is owned by indigenous communities. So, without those promised payments, deforestation is going back up.”

PM Marape also clarified that PNG is an active member of Small Island Developing States (SIDs) and the Pacific Islands Forum (PIF) and other Members of these bodies understand and respect PNG’s decision not to attend COP29 this year.

However, PM Marape stated during the BBC interview that PNG is willing to attend COP30, which will be hosted in Brazil next year, where he hopes that climate change-related conversations for forest conservation, shutting down of fossil fuel energy sources and related topics will be seriously taken and due diligence given and appropriate action taken.

Reflecting on PNG’s attendance of previous COP meetings, the Prime Minister says: “I have seen nothing that gives me confidence in the process since COP26 in Glasgow (Scotland) The last three COP meetings have gone around in circles, producing no tangible results for small island states. Europe, USA, China, and India need to pay for the eco-services that rainforest nations provide them and their people. I look to COP30 in Brazil to secure a real result for rainforest nations.”

PM Marape also highlighted the reality of climate change in PNG, saying: “We didn’t cause this problem, but our people are paying a high price. This year alone, extreme weather events have caused landslides, leaving over 2,000 people dead from just one catastrophe. Heavy rains have cost my country millions of dollars of damage to our roads and bridges that link to our communities.

“Rising sea levels have resulted in some of our islands being affected severely like the Carteret Islands in the Autonomous Region of Bougainville.”

He says the reality of sea levels rising as a result of climate change impacts is not only a PNG experience but also for smaller island nations in the Pacific who have serious issues emanating from this.

Further on climate funding assistance, Prime Minister Marape says given that Australia has brought back their global pledge in terms of helping climate change-affected nations to the Pacific Region: “We are working with Australia to access those funds for climate change mitigation. PNG made its stand clear at the recent Pacific Islands Forum held in Tonga, concerning the effects of climate change on small Pacific island nations and how best they can be assisted. We are pushing for land reclamation, clean energy use, and desalination of water. I’ve been pushing for these on the global front to assist our neighbouring small island nations like Kiribati, Tuvalu, Federated States of Micronesia and even small islands in PNG like the Mortlock atolls, Carterets and others.”