WELLINGTON (Pacific Media Centre / Pacific Media Watch): Rising sea levels, falling fish stocks and more extreme storms have proven destructive and deadly, Pacific leaders have told a Wellington forum.
New Zealand Green MP Kennedy Graham launched an apology to delegates at the Pacific Parliamentary and Political Leaders Forum on April 18-22 on behalf of New Zealanders who disagreed with the government’s decision not to sign the Copenhagen Agreement on reducing carbon emissions and alleviating climate change.
Other delegates spoke of the threat that rising sea levels posed to low-lying islands, the effect of overfishing and environmental changes on the Pacific fish stock, and the recovery efforts after severe storms in Samoa, Tonga and other countries.
Graham told the forum that New Zealand had “failed to respond adequately” to the climate change threat, and the Pacific needed to send a clear message to the New Zealand government and other Western governments that international action was needed.
Reporter/producer: Michael Sergel of Asia-Pacific Journalism for the Pacific Media Centre. 3min59sec
Talent: NZ Green MP Kennedy Graham
Kiribati MP Martin Moreti
MPs apologise to Pacific over NZ failure to sign climate change pact
Asia-Pacific Journalism
