Climate change project set

THE European Union (EU) is preparing a new cooperation project on “forest, climate change and biodiversity” in Papua New Guinea as part of its EU-Pacific Green-Blue Alliance of achieving a low-carbon and resilient global economy by 2050.
The EU-Pacific Green-Blue Alliance, launched at Cop26 in Glasgow in November 2021, focuses on climate action, resilience and sustainable use of natural capital as the basis for inclusive and sustainable economic development, while respecting the rule of law, human rights and fundamental values.
The new initiative is a concrete implementation of Global Gateway in the Pacific, as it will offer sustainable partnership for a green and digital transition, focusing on the Green Deal.
It is also in line with the EU strategy for cooperation in the Indo-Pacific, which identifies the Green Transition as a priority area of work with partners in the Pacific.
“This new project will help PNG bring forestry, actions to halt biodiversity loss and climate change together with sustainable, inclusive and gender-responsive green growth, helping to create jobs for the benefit of its people and full respect of their environment.
“I look forward to expand our project with many Team Europe members in this joint endeavour,” said Frans Timmermans, vice-president of the European Commission.
Prime Minister James Marape said: “This project comes at the right time to support us with the preservation of our forests and biodiversity and help us to fight climate change.
“PNG has extensive forests and biodiversity that we want to properly harness and develop to support sustainable livelihoods for our rural communities.
“The action supports our ambition to ensure sustainable management of our natural resources and our goal to move to a green, carbon neutral economy.”
With about 78 per cent of its landmass covered by forest, PNG is one of the most biodiverse countries in the world.
It is home to the third-largest tropical rainforest in the world and more than six per cent of the world’s most biologically diverse ecosystems.