Prime Minister, Voreqe Bainimarama says while Fiji did not cause the climate crisis, we are fully awake to its reality.
While speaking at the Opening Intervention UN Climate Action Summit in New York, Bainimarama says we must act with clear‑eyed purpose and resolve; someone must clear a path for others to follow. He says if we fail or if we falter, our children and grandchildren will have no path at all.
Bainimarama told the leaders that Fiji stands committed to uniting behind the science – an impassioned plea that the world’s youth just demanded from the world leaders.
The Prime Minister says the brutality of our changing climate has already driven vulnerable communities into a nightmare scenario – one in which the hellscapes of storms like Cyclone Winston and Hurricane Dorian have become the new normal.
Bainimarama says even if we limit temperature rise to the 1.5 degree celsius target, without urgent adaptation, our suffering will go on for generations and claim many more innocent lives.
He says acceptance of this living nightmare is morally unthinkable, and denial is unconscionable. Bainimarama says every nation must heed the call of our youth, wake up and begin building towards a vibrant, resilient future.
Bainimarama says Fiji’s view of what must be done is clear. He says Fiji has submitted the long‑term strategy to achieve net-zero emissions before 2050. The Prime Minister says they are nearing completion of their enhanced Nationally Determined Contributions.
He says the country has enacted an Environmental and Climate Levy, issued a green bond, and are using innovative financing solutions to fund these plans.
Bainimarama says the government is relocating climate‑vulnerable communities and infrastructure.
He also says that Fiji is striving to achieve 100% renewable energy by 2030. Bainimarama says they are finding creative ways to reduce emissions from our biggest emitter ‑ transportation ‑ including public transport and shipping.
The Prime Minister further says that they are enshrining our commitment to the Paris Agreement through a new Climate Change Law, which is currently undergoing public consultations.
He says they are also pursuing 100% sustainable management of our Exclusive Economic Zones by 2030, and the government has declared a 10‑year moratorium on seabed mining.
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