Photo credit: Papua New Guinea Mine Watch - Walter Schnaubelt
Minister for Forestry Walter Schnaubelt stated that discussions on renewable energy transitions and financial access alternatives for Small Island Developing States (SIDS) are critical for PNG.
Schnaubelt was speaking at the World Expo 2020 in Dubai when the Energy Transition Accelerator funding platform was launched.
He stated that Papua New Guinea, like other signatories to the Paris Agreement, is committed to taking action to address climate change adaptation while also contributing to global efforts to decrease greenhouse gas emissions.
“PNG submitted ambitious Adaptation and Mitigation commitments in its enhanced Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) in December 2020 to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).
Our mitigation commitments focus on the two largest emitting sectors and these are the Energy and the Agriculture, Forestry and Other Land Use (AFOLU) sectors,” Schnaubelt said.
In terms of energy obligations, Schnaubelt stated, "We intend to generate 78 per cent of power from renewable energy sources by 2030."
“The plan has been revised and harmonised. It will be launched on October 8 2021, during this Climate change and biodiversity thematic week, back in Papua New Guinea.
The highlights will also include the launch of the Climate Change (Management) NDC Regulation (2021) and the NDC Implementation Plan Roadmaps for the Electricity and AFOLU sector,” he said.
He went on to say that these pledges represent PNG's efforts to address climate change consequences and that the country has identified a number of renewable energy projects worth more than USD100 million to help with sustainable development, especially in rural communities.
The issue, according to Schnaubelt, is to obtain money as well as the necessary technical assistance in the packaging and execution of these projects. As a result, the NDC pledges are conditional and contingent on the availability of international technical and financial assistance.
Reference: Post-Courier (7 October 2021). “Renewable Energy Transitions And Financial Access Options Important”.
