This post is just in from Leah Wickham, our Pacific representative in Poznan.
I arrived in Poland two days ago, having travelled thousands of miles from the hub of the South Pacific and enduring flight delays, missed connections and lost luggage. Then there’s the cold and the minus-0 temperature. That is agonising for a girl from Fiji who’s never experienced anything less than 21 degrees in her entire life.
Why Poland? The UNFCCC COP 14 will be held here over the next two weeks. Crucial decisions will be made on the path that developed countries will take to reduce greenhouse emissions and the devastating effects of climate change on the people of my region.
I am here as part of a 12-member Solar Generation youth delegation from all over the world. We want to remind the parties of their responsibility to the world and especially to our generation. We will be the ones left to clean up the mess if they don’t get serious and take immediate steps to reduce greenhouse emissions.
The people of the Pacific are innocent victims of climate change brought about by massive emissions from developed countries and I can’t stand back and let this proceed. We are at risk of losing the very islands we call home, our culture and our identity if this meeting does not deliver REAL greenhouse emission reductions.
Leah Wickham, Solar Generation
