Tonga will apply to the UN’s Green Climate Fund next month for the US$50 million the government says it needs to address climate change issues.
Climate Change Minister Siaosi Sovaleni told Radio New Zealand the Eastern and Western coasts of Tongatapu and the islands of Ha’apai were particularly vulnerable.
“Most of our roads tend to be on the coastline and if we don’t do something about it, it will also affect those key infrastructure and that will affect people down the road who actually need those roads for transportation,” Hon. Sovaleni said.
Communities faced major problems with coastal protection, sedimentation management and capacity building.
Mr Sovaleni said work also needed to be done to protect marine life and coral.
The government should know by August if its application is successful.
The Green Climate Fund (GCF) is funded through the United Nations to help developing countries deal with climate change.
As Kaniva News reported last month, the Tongan government and the Asian development Bank have launched a Climate Change Trist Fund to fund community climate change projects.
This is part of a larger Tonga Climate resilience project financed by a US$19.25 million grant from the ADB.
The main points
- Tonga will apply to the UN’s Green Climate Fund next month for the US$50 million the government says it needs to address climate change issues.
- Climate Change Minister Siaosi Sovaleni told Radio New Zealand the Eastern and Western coasts of Tongatapu and the islands of Ha’apai were particularly vulnerable.
- The government should know by August if its application is successful.
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