Prime Minister Voreqe Bainimarama says as incoming Conference of Parties President, he does not see himself as an advocate just for Fiji and the other Pacific island nations but for every vulnerable part of the world and that includes the United States.
Speaking at a meeting of US climate leaders in the private sector in Chicago, Bainimarama said the people of states like California, Florida, New York and other coastal areas and all parts of America that we know will have to adapt their agriculture to changing weather patterns.
He says he is reaching out to the governors of some of these states as vital partners in this grand coalition they are building and he is also reaching out to corporate America, its foundations and its high net worth individuals as equally essential components of this campaign.
Bainimarama says at COP 23 in Bonn in November, the formal negotiations may be confined to national governments but as President, he wants to give equal weight to those members of the grand coalition from the private sector and civil society.
He says he intends to spend a much greater amount of time than previous COP Presidents in the Climate Action Zone which they intend to infuse with the Bula Spirit of Fiji.
Bainimarama asked all to consider joining him in Bonn in a collective demonstration of purpose and resolve.
He says this requires strong and principled leadership from everyone.
The Prime Minister says every level of government, state and local, every section of civil society and especially in this context, the real drivers of economic progress our businesses great and small need to be part of this.
He says together, with the support of billions of ordinary people around the world, it is time to take a stand.
Bainimarama says they are also doing what they can, pledging to reduce our carbon emissions by 30 per cent by 2030.
The Prime Minister says they have offered to give permanent refuge to the entire populations of two of our nearest neighbours, Kiribati and Tuvalu, in the event of a worst case scenario in which they are submerged altogether.
