Please allow me space in your column to share my views on the above subject.

Lately, climate change issues becoming the most talked over topic through the media, on the streets, in our parliament, through TV programs etc. Solomon Islands Government has marked and celebrated 24 October as the International day for climate chnage with the rest of the world.

Interestingly, the Minister responsible finally realise the effects climate change could have on our country Solomon Islands. And now he is calling on all the citizens of this country to participate in marking this day. First, I would like to thank the Minister personally for seeing it fit and sounding the alarm on the elevant hour to his citizens.

Whilst, one would appreciate the importance of this and the effects climate change have on us ordinary Solomon Islanders. There are things Minister Lilo and others responsbile should be doing in addressing this issue on a smaller but effective level in this country.

I have no problems marking this day with the international communities, and fighting climate cnhage on international scene.

The question that the Minister should be asked is, what is his policy? Is there any policy in place that would address climate change in a small but effective ways. Has the Minister been serious enough about address this issue right here in Solomon Islands. I suggest that people do things with a mindset that is critical in analysing their actions for the better course other than just making things for show as always the case be here in this country Solomon Islands.

Our petty politics using such events to advance our ego is not helping Solomons Islands in any way. Infact, this is problem we have all these years.

I suggest that the Minister responsible start thinking of ideas and formulating policy that will help contribute address climate change issues in our country. we blame Australia, USA, JAPAN, CHINA and other industrialised countries for polluting the atmosphere as result we became victims of their actions. It is true that our blaming games may be true that these countries have contributed much to climate change and its effects globally.

Equally, one would say that we failed as a nation in addressing climate change on our local or national level not globally. Think of it this way, Solomon Islands is tiny country or spec on planet earth. Can we imagine how small our country is and the likely negative implications, something might have on us, if our Governments fail to address through its policies. For example, logging indsutry in this country is something to be scare of as a Solomon Islander, but none of our Governments have address this issue constructively in such a way that we either minimise logging or just do away with it and not encourage it anymore in Solomon Islands. Instead we embrace logging as the only means gaining revenue for this country at the expense of our people. We blamed those industrialise countries for pollution and the main contributor to climange chnage but we failed to realise we too through successive governments have contributed to this global threat (climate change).

The degree of contribution to this threat is not the issue, whether you contribute 0.00% or 30% towards this threat is the same. I therefore, believe that our Government should address this issue in a more constructive approach than just marking that day the 24 October as an Internatioanl Day for Climate Change.

Marking and celebrating 24 October will do no justice to Solomon Islands. The Ministry responsible should find ways to address this matter if it means to formulate policy to tackle climate change then it must do it because some of our actions in this country also contributes to Climate Change. Why does non government organisations calling on Solomon Islands government to change its unsustainable logging practices in Solomon Islands? By the way what exactly are they preaching?
I believe those concerns were not only about money.

It is more to do with the likely effects this would have on environment (climate). It may be unsustanable as landowners have been ripped off and nothing much for them in retiurn but it is unsustainable on the scale that the negative effects this would have on our environment, our lives and our future is imaginable.