2 February 2012: Speaking at the Leadership Panel of the Delhi Sustainable Development Summit (DSDS), the President of the Republic of Seychelles, James Michel, called for practical action to address climate change, underlining that “our focus should not just be on words but on actions.”

The Summit is taking place in New Delhi, India, from 2-4 February 2012. President Michel further called on all countries of the world “to take more responsibility” for the required actions needed to mitigate climate change, and urged people everywhere to “put pressure on their governments to turn their pledges into reality.” He underlined that all countries should have an equal say in the matters of the global environment, noting that the world is “a global village where everyone shares the same concerns for the future of the planet.”

President Michel also called for developing political will, noting the struggles of small island States in the face of climate change impacts such as sea-level rise, droughts, erosion and coral bleaching. He stressed the need for a legally-binding agreement to limit carbon emissions and for global leaders to take political risks in order to introduce sustainable plans for energy production. [Seychelles President’s Statement]