Member of Parliament Paula Piveni Piukala has called for the establishment of a financial mechanism to assist small island states in addressing climate change.
Speaking at the session “Efforts to Safeguard Health and Food Security in the Face of a Changing Climate” during the Parliamentary Meeting at COP29 in Baku, Piukala highlighted the disproportionate impact of climate change on island nations.
“We are victims of weather disasters caused by countries that produce fossil fuels for their own benefit. They are suspiciously rich, but the indirect consequences are suffered by island nations,” he said.
He emphasized that small island states contribute less than 10% of total carbon emissions yet bear the brunt of climate-related disasters.
“You built your world by extracting fossil fuels, and we have never been compensated. It is time to create a financial mechanism to help our countries,” Piukala said, advocating for voluntary collaboration with major emitters.
The COP29 conference, hosted in Azerbaijan, focuses on a New Collective Quantitative Goal on climate finance. The event also launched 14 climate initiatives, linking action to Sustainable Development Goals.
Piukala’s remarks fuels the urgent call for equitable climate solutions as island nations face rising sea levels and extreme weather.