ST.GEORGE’S, GRENADA, MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 21st, 2009 _ Prime Minister Tillman Thomas is leading a Grenada delegation to climate change meetings in New York. The delegation includes the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Peter David, and Minister for International Trade and the Environment, Michael Church, along with government officials. Grenada currently chairs the Alliance of Small Island States (AOSIS), which is finalizing its approach for a new agreement on carbon emissions, sea level rises and temperature increases as part of the fight against climate change. This will be at the center of discussions in Copenhagen Denmark, when developed and developing nations meet in December, to seek a new agreement governing climate change. The issue will also be center stage when UN Secretary General, Ban Ki-moon, hosts a special UN conference on climate change on Tuesday. The Secretary General personally invited Prime Minister Thomas to the New York meeting during the Summit of the Americas, in Port of Spain Trinidad, earlier this year. Since coming to office in July 2008, Prime Minister Thomas has been at the forefront of efforts to highlight the difficulties posed by climate change to small island developing states. “For some of small island states, climate change is about survival. Entire islands will disappear, some cultures will vanish and already limited land resources will be further depleted. For others it will mean a relocation of people and infrastructure. In both cases it will require significant resources,” the Prime Minister said prior to leaving for New York. He pointed out that any new agreement on climate change must also address the cost of climate change, with a view to assisting small states to meet the cost and the challenges associated with combating this global problem. Hon. Nazim Burke, will act in the position of Prime Minister, Hon. Karl Hood will act in the position of Foreign Minister and Sen. Hon. Ann Peters will act for Minister Church.