Speaking after addressing the 80th United Nations General Assembly, Prime Minister Hon. James Marape issued a powerful appeal to world leaders and industries to take urgent action to preserve the planet, warning that Earth is fast approaching a “boiling point” due to human-induced climate change.
Prime Minister Marape said science is clear that the anthropogenic impacts of industrialisation and fossil fuel use are pushing the planet toward an irreversible tipping point.
“We have inherited a livable planet from our ancestors. We must pass on a livable planet to our descendants. There is no other planet in the observable universe with the properties to sustain life like Earth. God has made this one planet for human beings—why destroy it?” he said.
Prime Minister Marape urged the G20 nations and global industries with the largest carbon footprints to invest in conservation partnerships with forest-rich nations like Papua New Guinea.
“If you are not yet transitioning fully away from coal and fossil fuels, then assist nations like PNG to preserve our forests and oceans, and to reforest and regenerate nature. These are global assets—oxygen providers—that keep Earth in balance,” he stressed.
Papua New Guinea, as a major tropical forest and ocean nation, contributes significantly to the global carbon sink. Prime Minister Marape reaffirmed PNG’s willingness to use its vast forest, ocean, and biodiversity resources as part of the solution, but called for genuine international support.
“Our forests are a solution. Articles 5 and 6 of the Paris Agreement talk about saving forests, and PNG offers our resources sustainably. We want our people to earn from conserving their forests, not only from harvesting them,” he said.
The Prime Minister said PNG would continue to advocate strongly at COP30 in Brazil, where for the first time a major forest nation will host the global climate conference. He emphasised that preservation must begin now, warning that in the future humanity could be forced to fight for oxygen “carrying it in bottles.”
Prime Minister Marape also announced that PNG will not pursue carbon taxes on companies operating in its economy, given its carbon-negative position, but instead provide a “green certificate” to industries operating sustainably in PNG.
“Our total carbon footprint is far less than our carbon absorption capacity. Companies that operate in PNG will receive certification that they are working in a carbon-negative country. For their operations abroad, we welcome them to offset emissions by supporting conservation in PNG,” he explained.
Prime Minister Marape concluded with a reminder that the Earth is humanity’s shared home:
“We live in one planet. What happens in one part of the world affects the rest of us—as COVID-19 demonstrated. The responsibility to save Earth starts now. Leaders, industries, communities, big or small—we all owe it to our children and grandchildren to preserve this planet.”