By EDDIE OSIFELO
THE Government has sent a 14-man delegation to the 26th United Nation Climate Change summit (COP26) in Glasgow, United Kingdom, despite the economic impact caused by the coronavirus pandemic.
The delegation comprises of four technical people from Ministry of Environment, Climate Change Disaster Management and Meteorology (MECDM), one from Ministry of Infrastructure Development and one from Ministry of Foreign Affairs and External Trade.
The rest in the delegation are Government accredited members from other regional organisations and youth groups.
Ministry of Environment, Climate Change Disaster Management and Meteorology (MECDM) Permanent Secretary, Dr Melchior Mataki, who is not part of the delegation, said Cabinet has endorsed the trip to COP26.
“We actually have lost out on range of issues because negotiations haven’t taken place in the last two years since the last one was held in Madrid (Spain),” he said.
Dr Mataki said there are critical things that Solomon Islands needs to be part of the multi-lateral process so that our voice is not lost.
He said Solomon Islands is going to raise her voice on 7 key asks through the Small Islands Developing States (SIDS) and Alliance of Small Island States (AOSIS) on the negotiation table by end of this week.
Dr Mataki summarises that one of them is to push for the need for ambition.
“We are pressing the global emitters to cut emission down from 1.5 degree Celsius.
He said secondly, Solomon Islands want to have access to the Climate Finance because there are a lot of barriers put into it.
“We are at the frontline of climate change with little historical responsibility.
“So as the rest of the Pacific and SIDS, we must ensure the major emitters take the lead to reduce the emissions,” he said.
Thirdly, Dr Mataki said Solomon Islands want to rule book of the Paris Agreement concludes in this COP26.
He said the Rule Book of the Paris Agreement is outstanding for the last five year.
Dr Mataki said it is important to meet the key goal of United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) to keep temperature below 1.5 degree Celsius.
According to UNCC, the Paris Agreement is a legally binding international treaty on climate change. It was adopted by 196 Parties at COP 21 in Paris, on 12 December 2015 and entered into force on 4 November 2016.
Its goal is to limit global warming to well below 2, preferably to 1.5 degrees Celsius, compared to pre-industrial levels.
To achieve this long-term temperature goal, countries aim to reach global peaking of greenhouse gas emissions as soon as possible to achieve a climate neutral world by mid-century.
The Paris Agreement is a landmark in the multilateral climate change process because, for the first time, a binding agreement brings all nations into a common cause to undertake ambitious efforts to combat climate change and adapt to its effects.
