BAKU, Azerbaijan, November 19. Climate change is invading Small Island Developing States (SIDS), said Palau’s President Surangel Samuel Whipps as he delivered his national statement at COP29, Trend reports.
“Climate change is invading our islands, threatening our food security, infrastructure, economy, culture, and very existence,” Whipps stated, likening the impacts of climate change to acts of global destabilization. He called for collective resolve to meet the goals set out in the Paris Agreement to limit global temperature rise to 1.5°C.
Whipps underscored the importance of the new collective quantified goal (NCQG) on climate finance, urging that it be made accessible and sufficient to meet the needs of adaptation, mitigation, and addressing loss and damage. "The actions we take from this day forward are vital to our survival," he said.
Highlighting Palau’s climate initiatives, Whipps pointed to the country’s commitment to renewable energy, nature-based solutions, and community resilience. However, he stressed the need for industrialized nations to accelerate the phasing out of fossil fuels.
"In Palau and the southwest Pacific, sea levels are rising faster than other areas of the world. Sea surface temperatures have risen three times faster than the global average since 1980, and marine heat waves have doubled in frequency and are more intense and longer. Our stingless jellyfish are disappearing, and our corals are bleaching, and our fish population is declining, all due to our addiction to fossil fuels. We must prioritize the ocean-climate nexus by advancing our sustainable ocean economies, marine conservation, and resilient coastal ecosystems," the president added.