Transcript
RACHAEL LE MESURIER: OXFAM New Zealand's report is quite clear that the investment that the New Zealand Government has done, particularly in renewable energy has been well received. It has been a mitigation strategy - a way of using funds, New Zealand taxpayer dollars to help Pacific countries mitigate their own carbon emissions. In particular, that is obviously diesel. So solar power has been very welcome in the Pacific. However what OXFAM's report has highlighted is that the balance is not right. There's way too much investment in this mitigation, which is particularly solar power, and not enough in helping communities, villages, small businesses be able to adapt to the reality that climate change is there right now. So sea level rises, the increased cyclone force actually, so it is about adaptation. It's about the ability to be able to help the Pacific populations and communities to form their own responses to adapt to climate change, which is here right now.
DON WISEMAN: You have got in mind specific ideas about what they could do?
RLM: What's very clear is that many of the Pacific leaders know what it is that is needed. They are asking for more resources for climate adaptation. They are not in anyway saying no thanks to the renewable energy support, particularly from the New Zealand government, but what they are saying, in many of the communities that we are working alongside, is that that's very well but when the sea level rises, when the oceans become more acidic as they are now already, when those cyclones come through, people need to be able to adapt to the new reality that climate change is already causing across the Pacific, and that includes things like the droughts. So it is not enough and we think that the balance is wrong. It needs to be around 50 - 50 of taxpayer dollars assisting the Pacific. Some of it in mitigation, noting of course that people in the Pacific are some of those who have contributed the least to climate change around the world, so it really is fair to support their request for help, for them to be able to adapt to this changing world.
DW: Now there is going to be at this year's Forum I think a greater involvement from civil society groups. Are your ideas like this going to gain more traction?
RLM: What is very clear in OXFAM's report is we are actually picking up very strong messages coming from civil society and actually Pacific governments themselves, that really there has to be recognition that this is a problem not of their own making, that it is actually caused by the well off and well resourced countries around the world, and it would be fair to say 'let's start looking at making that balance more equitable', that there is more resourcing going to Pacific nations, particularly Pacific communities on the ground, where they are having to look at the realities - how do they access clean water now, how do they make sure their homes are safe when the sea surges are becoming more frequent, how can they access their livelihoods when salt is damaging the land, and they are not able to access the fishing that they used to be able to access. So all of this is why it is really important, from our report, one of the key recommendations is the New Zealand and Australia governments, and others, start investing in climate adaptation support, not just mitigation.
