Morning rain did not dampen the mood at Kiribati’s first-ever National High-Level Public Hearing on Climate Change on Friday, where leaders addressed the nation on the importance of everyone working together to build national resilience against climate change impacts.
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Official page of the National High-Level Public Hearing on Climate Change
Thankfully, despite the heavy rain overnight, the skies opened up to permit a late start to the event at Bairiki Square, which coincidentally or not translates from i-Kiribati to English as the “place where things happen”.
President Anote Tong addressed the nation at the National High-Level Public Hearing on Climate Change at Bairiki Square on Friday 19 April, 2013.
His Excellency Anote Tong was the first of 10 panelists to take the stage to address the crowded public square where he reiterated the importance of building both consensus and public understanding of climate change and climate change impacts in Kiribati.
“We must prepare the next generation to address the effects of climate change,” His Excellency said*.
These words were more dramatically reiterated in a moving youth performance by Kiribati Health and Family Association (KHFA) at half-time, where, in the skit, a young girl in tears asks her dad “Dad, what will happen to me and my Kiribati in 50 years time?*”
Next, second panel member Kiribati National Council of Churches Chairman Bishop Paul Mea took the stage.
Bishop Mea told the public, both in attendance and aired live across the country, that climate change was a social issue.
His Excellency Anote Tong takes the stage in front of other panelists and before the nation.
Human interference continued to contribute to the impacts of climate change, Bishop Mea continued, citing Tarawa causeways Nanikai and Teaoraereke as well as the Dai Nippon contributing to the loss of some of the nation’s islets.
Leader of the Opposition Party (Karikirakean te I-Kiribati Party) Dr Tetaua Taitai next acknowledged climate change as a serious issue, but one that should not be the main priority for Kiribati. Instead the more immediate issues of population growth, overcrowding, water and food security, unemployment, education and health should be first addressed, he said.
He added, where climate change was a focus, more attention was needed to how the nation utilised its own resources with that of external resources and that it was necessary for experts to have a sole focus in the context of Kiribati instead of generalising the nation with the rest of the world.
The public raised questions to the panel in person and via telephone and Facebook throughout the day.
*Please note: quotes have been translated from i-Kiribati to English
For more information, please visit:
- Official page of the National High-Level Public Hearing on Climate Change
- ‘Like us’ on Facebook to view pictures of the event
- Listen to His Excellency’s interview with Radio Australia’s Pacific Beat on the morning of the event
- Download the Climate Change Official Programme (PDF, 628KB)
- Who are the panel members for the Public Hearing?
- Background information on Parliament Select Committee on Climate Change
- Parliament of Kiribati website
