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An organiser of the Pacific Climate Change Conference in Wellington says it should be a major wake up call to take action before it’s too late.
Luamanuvao Winnie Laban, Victoria University’s assistant vice chancellor (Pacific), says the past two days have been a timely reminder Aotearoa is part of Pacific, and climate change is already having an impact on the world’s largest ocean and the islands in it.
She says as the first such gathering since the Paris Agreement was signed at COP 21 at the end of last year it was important to hear from a wide range of voices, including politicians, scientists, environmentalists, community activists and business people from around the Pacific.
"People can become quite rigid and staunch about positions but if you do that you don’t dialogue and the point about weaving the korowai together or the ia tonga, the fine mat is to bring those voices together so we can build links and build solidarity and build a strong position and a united position led by Aotearoa and the Pacific to show we have to take action now because we are thinking about our children and our mokopuna and the future generations to come," Associate Professor Laban says.
Victoria University has signed a memorandum of understanding with the secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme to collaborate on a range of activities including research on corals and enhancing biosecurity.
LUAMANUVAO WINNIE LABAN INTERVIEW
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