The United Nations Conference on Climate Change in Copenhagen, Denmark, has the goal of reaching a policy consensus that lowers greenhouse gas emissions and ultimately addresses the issue of climate change. In order to do that, it is imperative that all nations play a role in the policy proceedings. Thus far, the conference has allowed each nation the opportunity to provide a short opening statement (approximately 5 minutes) about their country’s position on climate change. One of the first statements I saw was by the Solomon Islands that are located in the South Pacific to the northeast of Australia. On the verge of tears, the Solomon Islands representative described how his constituents were already losing their ancestral homelands because of rising sea levels. Currently, they are being forced to relocate to different nations. It is a known fact that the affects of climate change have disproportionately effected developing nations, who often are not equipped to deal with these natural disasters. Thus, it is imperative that this conference provide equal representation to all nations regardless of financial resources to ensure that they receive equal representation and that they receive the resources they need to combat the effects of climate change.
Tags: Equal Representation
