Permanent Secretary for the Ministry of Environment and Climate Change, Dr. Sivendra Michael [left] at the closing of the Indo-Pacific Environmental Security Forum [Source: Fiji Government/Facebook]

Permanent Secretary for the Ministry of Environment and Climate Change, Dr. Sivendra Michael has stressed the importance of sharing concerns among Pacific Island countries to sustain the security and prosperity of the region.

Dr. Michael highlighted this while speaking at the closing of the Indo-Pacific Environmental Security Forum.

He says that discussions in the forum were centered on tourism, cultural practice, food, water security, livelihoods, and disaster risk reduction.

Dr. Michael stressed the scale of the climate crisis and biodiversity loss is unfolding on a huge scale and that it is a terminal threat to global security, peace, and prosperity.

“Under the leadership of the Honourable Prime Minister, Mr. Sitiveni Rabuka, the Fijian Government has elevated its prioritization of inter-ministerial and inter-disciplinary collaboration. We know that just as environmental issues cannot be disentangled from public health issues and broader development issues Fiji alone cannot change the course of our future.”

The Climate Change Permanent Secretary adds that thinking in Silo’s suggests climate change is merely an environmental issue cordoned off from issues of security and conflict is flawed.

The PS says that wars have always been fought over resources, over land, minerals, bodies of water, and access to fundamental human needs and securities.