"Floating cities are a very attractive concept, but for many small island countries, they may not have enough funds to build such a floating city on the sea." Recently, Alliance of Small Island States (Alliance of Small Island States Walton A Webson, Chairman of AOSIS and Permanent Representative of Antigua and Barbuda to the United Nations, said in an exclusive interview with a reporter from the Beijing News.
In order to cope with the impact of sea level rise, the South Asian island country Maldives is building a floating city on the sea, which can accommodate 20,000 people after completion. At the same time, the South Korean port city of Busan is also building a floating city. This is also the first test site for sustainable artificial floating islands of the United Nations Human Settlements Program.
For island nations and countries with low-lying coastlines, rising sea levels are an existential issue. The United Nations report shows that the current global sea level rise rate is 3.6 millimeters per year, more than twice as fast as the last century. If greenhouse gas emissions continue to grow strongly, the global average sea level may rise by more than 1 meter by 2100.
"Sea level rise caused by climate change poses an existential threat to many small island countries, which face the risk of being engulfed by the ocean." Webson said that in the face of this serious challenge, many small island countries have a serious lack of mitigation and adaptation Challenge capabilities, of which lack of funding is particularly evident.
In this regard, it is very important for the international community to increase climate adaptation assistance to small island countries, but more importantly, the international community must work together to control global warming within 1.5°C. "To achieve this, words and promises alone are not enough. The most important thing is actions, actions, actions!" Webson emphasized.
The Alliance of Small Island States (AOSIS) was established in 1990 as an intergovernmental organization of low-coast countries and small island states. Its purpose is to strengthen the voice of small island developing countries in addressing climate change. Currently, AOSIS has 39 member countries, including Maldives, Fiji, Tonga, Cuba, Haiti, etc.
Walton Webson, Chairman of the Alliance of Small Island States and Permanent Representative of Antigua and Barbuda to the United Nations. Photo provided by interviewee
In response to sea level rise, it is crucial to control temperature rise at 1.5°C
Beijing News: The report shows that global sea level rose by approximately 20 centimeters in the 20th century, and is still accelerating at a rate of 3.6 millimeters per year. With. How is rising sea levels affecting small island nations?
Walton Webson: Rising sea levels due to climate change pose an existential threat to many small island nations, which are at risk of being engulfed by the ocean.
Over the years, we have seen land inundation on many islands, coastal erosion, and the catastrophic impact of storms on infrastructure and marine ecosystems. If it is allowed to develop without effective action, many islands may be completely engulfed and cease to exist in the next 30 to 50 years. This is our biggest concern.
Beijing News: As the main "spokesperson" of small island countries, what work has AOSIS done to help address climate change?
Walton Webson: Since our founding in 1990, we have worked tirelessly to sound the alarm, highlighting the devastating impact of climate change on small island nations and low-coast countries. Within the framework of UNFCCC (the United Nations Convention on Climate Change), we are committed to fighting for the rights of citizens of small island developing States to maintain their existence on our planet.
AOSIS is one of the first advocates of "1.5℃ To Stay Alive" and has an important influence in promoting the international community's negotiations on global warming targets, especially in promoting the agreement of " Paris" Protocol " aspect. Of course, the journey is far from over.
At last year’s COP26, we saw many countries finally admitting that it is crucial to control global warming within 1.5°C, but there are still many regrets, especially when it comes to establishing a dedicated Loss and Damage Funding Mechanism. Facility), no concrete progress has been made.Because we have to make some compromises before we can formally adopt the Glasgow Climate Agreement.
However, it needs to be clear that controlling temperature rise to 1.5°C is not a victory. Even if we maintain this temperature increase, we will continue to suffer losses, some of which are even catastrophic. The risks posed by climate change are too high for us, small island nations, who are the main victims of a crisis we did not create. That’s why AOSIS is committed to fighting for the survival of our island nations and holding historically major emitters accountable.
Beijing News: Why is it particularly important for small island countries to control global temperature rise at 1.5°C?
Walton Webson: Research shows that 1.5°C and 2°C increases in average global temperatures by 2100 will have very different impacts on climate change.
If it exceeds 1.5℃ and reaches 2℃, this means that the global average sea level will rise by another 10 centimeters by 2100. At the same time, extreme heat waves will last longer, putting nearly all tropical coral reefs at risk.
And continued sea level rise will mean the destruction of lives and livelihoods in our island nations, particularly the Pacific and other island economies that rely on tourism. It will also mean the depletion of fresh water resources and seriously affect crop yields.
Climate change is the biggest challenge, and funding is a big problem.
Beijing News: For small island countries, is climate change the biggest threat they currently face?
Walton Webson: Without a doubt, yes. The world of the 21st century faces many crises, and the climate crisis is undoubtedly one of the most significant. In this regard, small island countries will become the main victims.
It is ironic that small island nations are the most dependent on the natural environment and ecosystems and emit the fewest emissions, yet we are the most affected by climate change. Climate change could cost us our homes, our families, our traditions, and even our lives.
Beijing News: What are the biggest difficulties faced by small island countries when dealing with the challenges brought about by climate change?
Walton Webson: We are working hard to deal with the challenges posed by climate change, but our country is small, geographically special, and has very limited resources. In short, our ability to mitigate and adapt to challenges is severely lacking. The biggest difficulty of
is the financial problem. The cost of disaster prevention and mitigation is very high. Whether it is building seawalls or establishing new infrastructure to block seawater erosion, a large amount of capital investment is required. However, we don't have enough funds.
Internally, tropical cyclones account for 3.7% of GDP losses each year, and this endless cycle consumes the resources we need to adapt. Externally, we have difficulty obtaining loans, and in comparison, the Green Climate Fund (GCF) funding approved for small island developing States is the smallest, accounting for only 4% of total funding. In addition, the US$100 billion in annual climate finance promised by developed countries has not been realized.
We are currently working hard to establish a financial funding system within the United Nations system, so that international financial institutions and other partners can help us solve funding problems to effectively respond to and mitigate the impact of climate change on small island countries and their people.
In the face of the global climate crisis, action needs to be stepped up.
Beijing News: What should the international community do to help small island countries that face existential threats?
Walton Webson: We have actually proposed a series of areas in which the international community should work together. First of all, in the 2015 Paris Climate Agreement, we have reached an agreement to strive to control global temperature rise within 1.5°C. This is a very critical point.
Secondly, since 2009 we have repeatedly called on developed economies to increase economic and technical support to small island developing countries to help them cope with the impacts of climate change. The goal proposed at that time was US$100 billion per year, but in fact it has never been reached, and now we need more funds.
Third, we have been calling on the international community, especially G20 and G7 countries, to phase out fossil fuel subsidies, thereby promoting the use of renewable energy and reducing atmospheric pollution.
In addition, we hope that the international community can respond to our call for the establishment of a "loss and damage financial mechanism" and promote those developed countries that should bear the main responsibility for historical emissions of greenhouse gases to provide developing countries, especially small island countries and least developed countries, with financial aid. Funding to cope with loss and damage.
Beijing News: Since COP26 last year, do you think global climate action is on the right track? What will be the focus of AOSIS at this year's COP27 to be held in Egypt ?
Walton Webson: I believe we are moving in the right direction and we recognize the importance of addressing climate change, but the most important thing is still action. Right awareness keeps us on the right track, but action is what we really want. At present, the actions of the international community are obviously not enough.
We believe that all countries must propose more ambitious NDCs ( Nationally Determined Contributions ) emission reduction targets before this year’s COP27, as we must work towards the goal of halving carbon emissions by 2030 in order to achieve Keep global temperature rise within 1.5°C.
At this year's COP27, we will continue to promote the establishment of a "Loss and Damage Finance Mechanism" and call on advanced economies to fulfill their commitment to provide $100 billion in climate finance to developing countries every year. In addition, we will focus on issues that were not fully resolved at last year’s COP26 conference in Glasgow, such as fossil fuel subsidies and other related issues.
Regarding the global crisis of climate change, we must realize that empty words and promises are killing our present and future. The only way out lies in strong climate action and the realization of climate justice.
Beijing News reporter Xie Lian
editor Zhang Shujing proofreader Xue Jingning
