Speaker of the Parliament Mohamed Nasheed has stated parliamentarians need to form legislations to combat climate change. He made the remarks in his speech at the international parliamentary event held at the 26th United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP26), called the Global Legislators Organisation (GLOBE) COP26 Legislators Summit.
Speaking at the event, Speaker Nasheed highlighted that parliamentarians are responsible for fulfilling pledges made by elected leaders through legislation. In this regard, the speaker said parliamentarians need to form a legislative agenda from pledges regarding climate action that results in procurement orders and tender notices. He said parliamentarians must remind themselves they are answerable to the people and ensure parliamentarians and elected representatives are central to the work on climate action.
Furthermore, Speaker Nasheed shared his experiences as the speaker of the Maldives parliament and said he encouraged the passing of the climate emergency bill that prescribes the pathway for net-zero carbon emissions in the Maldives. He detailed that the bill stipulates a carbon budget for each calendar month each year in order to meet the goal by 2030 by making the target legally binding and establishing a mechanism for reaching it.
The speaker also said the Maldives has enacted energy legislation that would allow for power purchasing agreements to allow the country to switch to renewables and establish the infrastructure to deliver solar panels and renewable power. He added the Maldives has amended the environment act to stop the import of plastics to the Maldives.
Speaker Nasheed expressed his wish for other parliaments to lead in this way to form legislations on how their government could meet their promises. He said the Maldives parliament stands willing to assist any parliamentarian who wishes to implement similar legislation.
Concluding the statement, Speaker Nasheed called on all parliamentarians to unite and use the power of parliaments to deliver on the goal of limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees.