Dili, Timor-Leste, March 20 2024 – In a powerful address at the 2024 Presidential Lecture Series, President J. Ramos-Horta issued an urgent call for global cooperation to combat the catastrophic impacts of climate change facing Timor-Leste and other small nations.
“Climate change is a global catastrophe requiring a global response,” stated the Nobel Peace laureate. But small nations like Timor-Leste that contribute only about 0.003% of global emissions that lead to climate change cannot meet this existential challenge alone.
Speaking before senior officials, academics, and civil society leaders, Ramos-Horta outlined the devastating effects his country has already experienced, including decreased agricultural production, food insecurity, water shortages, infrastructure destruction, loss of life, and human displacement.
He praised Timor-Leste’s active involvement in UN climate negotiations but stressed that international support through technology transfer, capacity building, and financial assistance is desperately needed to increase resilience and drive mitigation efforts.
The president called on his nation to accelerate a transition to low-carbon development by promoting renewable energy, reforestation, conservation efforts, and community forestry programs. He emphasized the need for a coordinated, all-of-society climate strategy engaging all sectors to foster climate-resilient cities and infrastructure nationwide
“We face an urgent crisis that threatens our very existence,” Ramos-Horta declared. “Yet by rising up together, through global unity and national action, we can overcome the climate threat and build a sustainable future for all.”
Media PR/TVE-T
