Not enough awareness

 A LOCAL spokesman has raised concerns that not enough awareness on climate change is being done to educate communities in the rural areas. 

Sailas Steven of Abau, Central, has called on NCD Governor Powes Parkop, city residents and all citizens to get educated on climate change. 

Steven and his team are working on the final stages of establishing Abau Climate Change Foundation Inc with its  headquarters located in Port Moresby and a branch in Kupiano, Abau. 

He said to address climate change, the government, stakeholders, development partners and non-governmental organisations needed to take immediate action to reduce vulnerability and build resilience to the impacts already occurring.  

“People in the villages need to know the impacts of climate change such as sea level rise, flooding, drought and be prepared for it. 

“Priority sectors include water, agriculture, food security, health, biodiversity, disaster and coastal management,” he said. 

“In agriculture sector, key challenges include developing crop switching strategies and resistant crops.  

“The message from Abau Climate Change Foundation Inc to policy makers is urgency, leadership and ambition. 

“We need to be ambitious and act quickly to make decisive policy shifts in embracing a basket of technological options for adoption and mitigation.  

“The challenge is to minimise risks and seize new opportunities. 

“The decisions we have to take are tough but it’s a shared global commitment to save our planet.”