CANCUN, Mexico, December 7, 2010 – The Alliance of Small Island States (AOSIS) says it is not prepared to accept token decisions at the United Nations Climate Change Conference that will provide a beautiful façade but result in no real action and no significant impact on the problem of climate change.

Grenada’s Prime Minister Tillman Thomas and chairman of the 43 members that are most vulnerable to the impacts of climate change said that Cancun presents a great opportunity to respond in a decisive manner to the call for urgent action on climate change.
“When we get such an opportunity, we should grab it both hands,” Thomas said while delivering the statement on behalf of AOSIS at the opening of the High-Level Segment of the Climate Change Conference on Tuesday.
He said that while recognising that “we have made a start, what many of us wish to focus on in Cancun, is not enough”.
The Grenadian leader called for the establishing of an Adaptation Committee which he said will bring consistency to the work being carried out at the global, regional, national and community levels.
He said that provision should also be made for the loss and damage that is already being experienced.
“We call for the establishment of a mechanism to address this loss and damage through risk prevention and risk management approaches,” he said.
He said that these approaches must be appropriate to respond to the scale and nature of the loss and damage being experienced.
“These approaches must be supported by financial resources and therefore the establishment of a new Fund is necessary during this meeting of the COP, with adequate provision for priority access for SIDS and LDCs and for a process to ensure expediency”.