2 weeks Ago By Dale Luma
THE Climate Change Development Authority (CCDA) in attempts to limit Carbon emissions with the conversation on energy transition is working towards public-private partnerships, says acting managing director Debra Sungi. Ms Sungi said during the recent Petroleum and Energy conference that PNG is one of the most vulnerable countries in the world when it comes to climate change and CCDA is now focused on nature-based solutions to lower emissions. In doing so, Ms Sungi said: “We have to ensure that we build our capacity to have this capacity to allow us to transition and that is our focus as a country.
“So, we have at the government level in terms of what actions we are taking in regards to us being vulnerable and that is adaptation that we face. We want to adapt to the effects of climate change. “We talk about our forest and how do we fully utilise that forest that we have.
And not only the forest, we also have vast resources that we have in terms of renewable energy sources. “So, very, very vast resources. Renewable energy sources, natural resources in terms of ensuring that we all work together and we contribute and we enhance those nature-based that we have in order for us to see those as a solution for us going forward.
So, you will note, and we don’t need statistics to even tell us about this, we’ve been facing a lot of disasters that have been very frequent over the past decade. “Weather patterns have been changed. You can now grow betelnut up in the highlands.
“You don’t do that before, but it’s obviously the places up there which is cooler have been hotter. And then seasons are changing. You have pests up there that you need to use pesticides to control them.
“And that makes us to be one of the most vulnerable countries in the world. In terms of emissions, a lot of people talk about and they question us that look, we don’t emit much. “Why are we talking about decarbonisation? Why are we talking about lowering our emissions? We have actual contribution that we have to the global emissions of around up to 0.
001per cent. It’s very, very limited. “But for us as a vulnerable state and as a vulnerable country, we need to take action too.
Actions “What do we do about it? We have to take action now. We don’t want to be like developed countries who have already have hot air around them. “We want our air to be fresh.
We want it to be clean. So we have to take action. “That is the whole reason why we at the government level ensure that we have mechanisms that will assist us to drive us in a pathway that leads to low emission development around sustainable development mechanisms that we have.
“We are a growing economy. We don’t really talk about stopping or phasing out everything in terms of our coal, in terms of our diesel, petrol, but we want to go into transition. “And also on the other hand, we have key mitigation options that are there in terms of the nature base that we’re looking at, in terms of the renewable energy sources that we are looking at.
“Even though we are a vulnerable country, we have this advantage there that natural resources that we can tap on to allow us to also build our capacity and combat the effects of climate change.” Targets “And that is something that is of advantage to us. So our targets that we have set out in order for us to reach and be a society that is carbon neutral is an overarching goal that we have.
Under the Vision 2050 to be carbon neutral by 2050, 100% and 2030, 50 per cent. “In our recent bi-annual update report, which we submitted to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, we have actually reached our target under the agriculture, forestry and other land use, which is of 10,000 gigagrams of CO2 equivalent with zero net in our recent findings or inventories that we’ve done. “So that is a positive step that the government have actually taken together with you all in terms of ensuring that we work together in a more sustainable way.
“Those targets are very specific for our agriculture, forestry and other land use. We are in 2024, almost halfway through 2030.” “It’s a 10-year target.
So positive milestones which we have achieved together.” Climate Change and Development Authority is a coordinating agency. “But we work together with all these implementing sectors, such as PNG Forest Authority for, National Energy Authority, together with its utility company, PNG Power.
“So significant milestones in terms of the policies that we’ve set out for them to implement.” Partnerships “In terms of the energy transition, we also have a very ambitious target. And that is something that you have seen across in the presentations.
Even not only at the government level, at the regulatory level, but also private sectors have come on board. “Even the industry has really taken a step forward in terms of also seeing this as a very, very important agenda that we all have to work towards and achieve in terms of our transition. “So the current or the existing actions that we have taken on in terms of the key sectors.
“Those are the sectors that as far as our GHG inventory is concerned, those sectors are our most limiting sectors. “So we’re taking action in terms of how do we minimise those emissions coming out from those sectors. So those are some of the activities.
“And I would like to also talk about how we have worked together with the National Energy Authority and PPL in terms of having a very specific target around electricity. “So for the energy, we have a quantifiable target that we want to work together with the key agencies around the energy sector to ensure that we phase out the existing 16, power stations that are still relying on diesel as a power that supplies the township. “That is our target that we want to achieve by 2030.
“And it involves everyone to work together in order for us to. And we are riding on from the National Energy Rollout Plan, which is an amazing document that has already outlined potential energy sources that are there in each of those identified provinces that only needs investment to come in and work together to achieve those targets. In terms of financing, well, we have amazing plans.
“We have amazing strategies. But it always comes down to the question of do we have the necessary capacity? Do we have the necessary finance to actually implement those? And that has always been our challenge. “And it’s also something that we can hide away from.
It’s always a challenge. And for us as the government, we are actually, and for CCDA, actually trying to ensure that we have to utilise our mandate in terms of having an authority and having to regulate a few of our sectors that we are working together with. “So one of the key actions that we are working on towards the public-private partnership engagement.
“So it has the targets from the agriculture, forestry, and other land use, and also from the energy sector. “So you have all the key activities that is being identified there and putting it into the taxonomy and having it out, working together with the banks to ensure that we’re working at reaching those targets, but also how do our small people from the communities have access to those kind of finance, or those finance that we mobilise. The biggest challenge for us is, yes, we have a Green Climate Fund.
“We hear about all the bilateral mechanisms and multilateral mechanisms and the banks that are there, but it is very, very challenging to get those finance. For Green Climate Fund, practically you get to have access to that finance even almost up to after four years. “And by then, you have at least 10 to 20 disaster strikes around in the country, and we don’t have time to sit down and wait for that.
“We as the government, as an entity, has to ensure that we work together with everyone to really fully maximise those opportunities that are there in our plans, our policies, our strategies, and our legislative framework to ensure that we mobilise those necessary climate finance that we can drive and implement within the country. “So not only are we then fighting for climate actions, but also mobilising it ourselves, even within the country and also outside as well. “So we build on the governance framework to ensure that we can attract those climate finance coming into the country.
“We want to own a forestry centre, and that is something that we actually have been working together with a lot of partners in the industry. “One of the projects that you will note is the Markham Valley around the forestation, reforestation program that they have, and that has been a very good close collaboration with the Climate Change and Development Act. “Now, a lot of partners in the industry want to venture into this, even not only the industries, but also private, also our local people want to, but there was this missing link of the governance framework not in place.
“So I’m pleased to say that even after the amendments of the Climate Change Management Act, in 2023, we have made some few amendments to allow us as an authority to now manage and govern the space around carbon markets. “And we have the regulation that maybe in a couple of days we will have a statement out that we have some endorsement.”.
