Prime Minister James Marape of Papua New Guinea (PNG) has reaffirmed the country’s robust commitment to addressing climate change on the global stage. Speaking at a significant United Nations event on climate change, co-hosted with Brazil’s President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, Marape emphasized PNG’s proactive stance leading up to the crucial COP30 negotiations in Brazil.
The event gathered global leaders and climate advocates to establish momentum for decisive action at COP30. In his address, Marape praised the leadership of UN Secretary-General António Guterres and commended President Lula for highlighting the indispensable roles of forests and oceans in the global climate strategy.
Marape articulated PNG’s dual perspective on the climate issue, identifying the nation as both affected by climate change and as a key contributor to potential solutions. He noted PNG’s position as a steward of vast natural resources, including the world’s third-largest tropical rainforest and diverse marine environments that function as crucial global carbon sinks. Despite PNG’s minimal carbon emissions, its rich biodiversity plays a vital role in maintaining the planet’s ecological balance.
The Prime Minister outlined ambitious national climate objectives, such as enhancing their Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) targets, achieving net-zero deforestation by 2030, and initiating a national policy to protect mangroves and coastal ecosystems. These efforts will require significant investments, estimated at $7.7 billion by 2030, focusing primarily on scaling up renewable energy and creating climate-resilient infrastructure.
In light of these initiatives, Marape called for intensified international cooperation, urging developed countries to fulfill financial pledges, enhance technology transfers, and bolster funds specifically for vulnerable nations like PNG. He also advocated for public-private partnerships to reverse global deforestation trends by 2030.
Marape emphasized PNG’s solidarity with other forest and ocean nations. He reiterated the importance of forests and oceans in their natural state for sustaining life and mitigating climate impacts, stressing that concerted international actions are vital for global survival.
Prime Minister Marape’s commitment reflects PNG’s continued leadership in climate action, echoing the country’s consistent advocacy highlighted by previous statements from UN Secretary-General António Guterres during his visits to PNG. This reaffirmation enriches the dialogue on global climate change and reinforces the urgency for cohesive action at COP30 and beyond.
Overall, the gathering of international leaders signals a hopeful pathway for significant global progress against climate change, underscoring the essential contributions of nations like Papua New Guinea in steering these transformative efforts.