Climate change policy approved for passing

Caption:  Executive Director for OCCD Varigini Badira (Centre) flanked by his management teams with the approved policy document.

By MATTHEW VARI

Sunday, August 17, 2014 (Sunday Chronicle, PNG)





THE Office of Climate Change and Development (OCCD) announced the approval of the country’s first national policy to address the effects of climate change in Papua New Guinea last week.

Present to make the announcement Executive Director for OCCD Varigini Badira hailed the passing of the policy by the National Executive Council (NEC) as a huge milestone in the country’s response to the global phenomenon and the government’s commitment to addressing it.

“On behalf of the minister it is my honor to reiterate what the minister has announced last week on the endorsement and the subsequent approval of the Climate Change Development and Management Policy endorsed by NEC,” Badira said.

“I appreciate the minister responsible John Pundari for his leadership in driving the policy forward in what is an important global agenda, and I would also like to thank NEC for their wisdom in approving the climate change policy.”

“It is a policy that will transcend from our generation into future generations, which is a responsible and sensible policy that the government has passed.”

The director reiterated approval as vital for the government to attest to its leadership globally in saving forests and the marine eco-system, on par with the rest of the world.

As an overarching policy that covers all aspects of efforts to mitigate and adapt to aspects of climate change.

“It looks at how we can reduce greenhouse emissions and how we can help our people adapt to the dangerous impacts of climate change such as sea level rise, inland flooding, coastal flooding, low food yield, malaria, vector borne diseases and all adverse impacts of climate change,” Badira said.

“Upon the approval of the climate change policy, the next steps we have to take to make sure that we have sector policies that will drive development in each of these areas.”

Sector Policies across all sectors that will have to undergo changes in line with the new national policy will be that of National Provincial Local Level Governments, land use, transportation, energy, green development, natural resources, economic development, hazard management, public health, and public infrastructure.

“It is a national policy therefore cabinet has instructed that in all those areas there must be policy reforms so that we strive to build more effective and efficient systems that will either contribute to one of the themes of mitigation or of adaptation,” Badira said.

“I would like to thank all stakeholders involved in the consultation processes from the all the provinces consulted and national agencies and all consultation reports are online.”

“Climate change is a phenomenon that is real and is happening. It is not in the future that we expect the effects to occur- we are feeling the impacts of climate change as we speak.”

The policy had been initially approved on July 31 this year after two and half years of consultations and formulation, and is set to be passed in the November session of Parliament.