From the Office of the Prime Minister ST.GEORGE’S, GRENADA, WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 17th, 2009 _ Grenada’s Prime Minister Tillman Thomas says small island states should unite in efforts to get a new agreement on climate change at Copenhagen. The following is the text of that statement: “The situation facing small island states is a matter of survival, given the impact of sea level rise and temperature increases on our population centers and infrastructural development that are on or near to coastlines. Climate change is one of the most serious threats to our development and in some cases, the greatest hindrance to the utilization of our land based resources. Our concern is further underscored by the millions of dollars we lose in recovery efforts following hurricanes, which are becoming more dangerous, with a higher potential for loss of life and property. We are not responsible for the difficulties facing our planet from climate change. It is therefore my view that those who contribute most to global warming are the ones who should contribute most to fighting it,” the Prime Minister said. The time has come for us, as small states with the most to lose from this challenge, to stand in unity to confront the issues that have the potential to damage our ecosystems, limit our land based agricultural production and significantly deplete our marine resources and fishing stock. This is the time to push for real change on carbon emissions and other factors that encourage global warming.” The Prime Minister’s comments come just prior to his attending the UN Conference on Climate Change and a meeting of the Alliance of Small Island States (AOSIS), which is chaired by Grenada, in New York early next week. UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon invited Prime Minister Thomas to address the UN conference during the Summit of the Americas in Trinidad and Tobago earlier this year.