Pacific nations plead for climate change action

Radio Australia and ABC news

Last Updated: Wed, 9 Dec 2009 21:27:00 +1100

Pacific Island nations have called on the world's industrialised countries to accept responsibility for dealing with the effects of climate change.

Delegates from Fiji, Samoa, the Federated States of Micronesia and Solomon Islands made the plea at the United Nations Copenhagen Climate Change Conference, during a forum hosted by the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environmental Programme (SPREP) .

They spoke about how their populations were already feeling the effects of climate change.

The Federated States of Micronesia's permanent representative to the UN, Masao Nakayama, says they urgently need developed countries to commit to cutting their emissions.

"The small island states are not the cause of the problem. Everybody knows who causes this problem and we must not request - but we must demand - that they're the first one to fix this problem," he said.

Meanwhile the Government of Bangladesh has claimed it is entitled to at least 15 per cent of any annual aid money rich countries pledge to help developing nations cope with climate change.

Environment Minister Hasan Mahmud says Bangladesh is entitled to a big share of the money because it is the country most vulnerable to rising temperatures.

He says 20 million Bangladeshis will be displaced if the sea rises by a metre.

He has cited two consecutive floods in 2007 and Cyclone Aila, which earlier this year battered the coast and left millions of people homeless.

Developed countries are discussing a so-called climate adaptation fund at the United Nations summit in Copenhagen with suggestions that rich countries would contribute $US10 billion a year.

New Zealand's chief climate negotiator, Adrian Macey says emissions targets and financing will the main problems at Copenhagen.

"You've got figures coming out from many parties now but we're still a long way from bridging the gaps there. Those two issues will go right through well into next week."

Leaking document

Meanwhile, the Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd says leaks of draft documents from the climate talks are to be expected as the conference progresses.

A draft of a final agreement has been leaked on the first day of formal talks.

The Guardian Newspaper has published the so called "Danish text" which calls for a new global fund to help developing countries adapt but also gives more control to richer countries over climate change financing.

The document reportedly abandons the Kyoto Protocol and sidelines the United Nations in future climate change negotiations.

But Mr Rudd says the Danish government has been consulting widely in preparation for the talks.

"Between now and when the Copenhagen conference is held there will be one leak after the other of one document

Because you've got most of the world's media there, most of the world's politicians going there, and when you've got that cocktail, anything could happen," he said.

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