16 Mar 2011

Niue hopes for climate change adaptation progress

2:29 pm on 16 March 2011

The premier of Niue, Toke Talagi, hopes the Pacific Climate Change Roundtable, now underway on the island, can outline adaptation measures and mitigating infrastructure the region can put in place.

The roundtable, involving about 100 delegates, and running this week in Alofi, has the theme Mobilising Climate Change Resources for the Pacific.

The delegates want to see access to finance for climate change promised by the donor nations, accelerated.

Mr Talagi says in Niue, the programme for mitigation is simple and based on the experience of Cyclone Heta and observation of more recent disasters.

He says this involves building evacuation centres which are self-sustainable, multipurpose and hopefully self funding.

It is based on a model for building a complex which can be used as a tourist facility, a community facility or a small sports complex.