Opposition Leader Manasseh Sogavare questions Wale’s US$400,000 Green Climate Fund pledge amid Solomon Islands’ adaptation needs.
Leader of the Official Opposition, Manasseh Sogavare MP, fully supports international cooperation in addressing climate change. However, such cooperation must be firmly grounded in the realities of our unique national circumstances, limited fiscal capacity and the principle of climate justice.
The GREAT Coalition’s first responsibility must be its people.
Manasseh Sogavare made this statement in response to Prime Minister Mathew Wale’s pledge of US400- Thousand towards the Green Climate Fund’s (GCF) next replenishment, during this week’s COP31. . Sogavare said, Solomon Islands is a Small Island Developing State, classified as a Least Developed Country, and sits in one of the world’s most vulnerable climate hotspots. We are among the countries least responsible for global greenhouse gas emissions, yet face some of the most severe consequences.
He said, the Green Climate Fund was established to help vulnerable developing countries address climate change. Its purpose is to mobilise resources for adaptation, mitigation, technology transfer and capacity building, particularly for countries that lack the financial capacity to respond to this global crisis.
Sogavare said, the Government need to explain the fiscal justification for this US$400- Thousand pledge when the Solomon Islands National Adaptation Plan, NAP, is under resourced.
The country needs urgent investment in coastal protection, freshwater security, climate-resilient roads, schools, hospitals, renewable energy, agriculture and disaster preparedness.
The Solomon Islands’ National Adaptation Program of Action identifies Langalanga, Ontong Java, Sikaiana, Reef Islands as among communities with very limited opportunities to adapt to climate change and they cannot wait. The threat is not theoretical. It is already affecting people’s homes, livelihoods and security.
Our vulnerable communities need adaptation financing, protection and economic resilience now.
The Government cannot expect our people to endure rising seas, eroding coastlines, declining livelihoods and increasing climate risks while our limited national resources are committed elsewhere.
Climate justice must begin at home. Our first responsibility is to protect our own people, our islands and our future, he stressed.
The Opposition Leader further adds, the country is already tied to a US$70 million concessional loan under the Tina River Hydropower Project, with a repayment period of 40 years, alongside a US$16 million Green Climate Fund Grant.
“How does the Prime Minister reconcile this additional US$400- Thousand pledge with the need to manage Solomon Islands’ existing long-term loan repayment to the Green Climate Fund responsibly.”
He concluded, the Parliamentary Opposition supports meaningful international climate cooperation based on fairness, accountability and national interest. The GREAT Coalition must prioritize the pressing needs of our vulnerable communities.
SOURCE// OPPOSITION PRESS RELEASE
