By Eleanor Gee and Mary Lyn Fonua

“When we cut down a tree it is important to plant a new one,” Crown Prince Haakon of Norway said after planting a mangrove seedling in the swampy coastline of ‘Ahau village in Western Tongatapu today.

His delegation recognised that the Pacific islands region is one of the areas of the world most affected by climate change.

“At this site we are looking at some of the effects of the ocean, the rising sea levels of the ocean, and one of the ways of protecting the coastline is regrowing mangroves,” he said

Norway is an oil rich country, but it also feels the effect of climate change because in the North the ice is melting.

“Because of that melting ice that's part of the reason why the sea level is rising, in addition to the ocean warming, which makes it expand.... So it's connected. What we see in Norway also has an effect here it's a global phenomenon,” he told Matangi Tonga at 'Ahau.

The Crown Prince who is a UNDP ambassador, said it is important for countries to work together in the multi-lateral community through the United Nations and other international cooperation. “And make sure we take care of our oceans and the climate.”

USD30 million

Norway's Minister of International Development Mr Dag-Inge Ulstein, in the official delegation, said that Climate Change and climate issues are “the most urgent issues for our generation”.

“This region is one of the areas in the world that is most affected by the climate change and for this visit we wanted to draw the world's attention to that huge issue, so it's a global issue that needs global solutions.”

He said that in the UN it's not about the size of a country that's important, “it's actually that we work together. . So we have several projects. We have the Green Climate Fund* and we donated $30 million USD a year to Tonga.”

The fund has supported renewal energy and other projects.

Plant trees

The Crown Prince added that there are many things we can do to address climate change.

“According to the last IPPC report (International Panel on Climate Change), they were pointing to quite a few things that needs to be done in order for the world to stay below the 1.5 % increase in the world's temperature.

“One thing is emittance of CO₂, we need more renewable energy, we need to make sure that our forests, especially the Amazon and the old forests, are kept intact because they keep a lot of the CO₂ as a sink, and also that we manage our forests, when we cut down a tree it is important to plant a new one.

“So it's basically looking at transport, heating and cooling of buildings and industry to get our CO₂ emissions down so that's quite urgent that we are able do that.”

Warm welcome

Both the Crown Prince and Mr Ulstein said they were very happy to be in Tonga and had received a fantastic welcome. “It's a wonderful country with warm and wonderful people.”

“We need to stand together. We are so happy to be here and looking forward to further partnerships,” said the Minister.

After visiting Kolovai impacted area with HRH Prince Ata, the delegation was received at 'Ahau impacted area by HM Queen Nanasipau‘u and the 'Ahau people.

Earlier in the morning the delegation made an official visit to the Prime Minister's Office in Nuku'alofa and visited the Houma blowholes.

Tonga is their first stop on a Pacific tour.

Crown Prince Haakon (45), is the only son and younger child of King Harald V and Queen Sonja and heir apparent to the throne of Norway.

•The Green Climate Fund supported by Norway is a unique global platform to respond to climate change by investing in low-emission and climate-resilient development. GCF was established to limit or reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in developing countries, and to help vulnerable societies adapt to the unavoidable impacts of climate change. Given the urgency and seriousness of this challenge, the Fund is mandated to make an ambitious contribution to the united global response to climate change.