This Week is National Climate Change Week.

Whilst there were trees planted around the country amidst our Prime Minister Voreqe Bainimarama championing the fight against climate change, what are we, as ordinary citizens doing?

Let’s all sit back for a minute, especially the older ones, take a hard look at our children and grandchildren and ask ourselves – what kind of a world do we want them to grow up in?

Do we want them to be starving, with all food sources diminishing around them?

Do we want them to thirst because our water sources have either run dry or are contaminated?

Do we want them to be living in temperatures we don’t want to live in?

These are hard hitting questions and yes, we have had a good time, but what about them? Forests around us are rapidly diminishing with some countries having in place a good replanting programme.

What of others which are indiscriminately destroyed because of that insatiable demon economists call the profit motive or the profit ethic.

Each one of us, firstly as parents and adults and as citizens of Fiji, need to start thinking about life ahead and not just life every minute.

We need to act now for everyone knows what happens when things are left for ‘tomorrow’.

Devastation around the world, the latest being the devastating hurricanes that hit the Caribbean and the US is happening.

Countries that have never tasted such catastrophic forms of destruction are staring it in the face and yet we still have leaders like US President Donald Trump who feels his loud mouthing with North Korea’s Kim Jong Un is more important than joining the fight against climate change.

Ironic as it may seem, the weather has come back to haunt him. But on a brighter side, a lot of Americans, including State Governors and mayors are supporting COP23.

Back home, let us all, political differences aside, get together as a nation and commit towards making earth a better place for our children and generations to come.

Let’s not think of ourselves because deep down, we know that a better future and a better world to live in is all that we want.

Let us therefore make that effort and make this week more meaningful through awareness at home and get the family involved to plant at least one tree, whether it be at home or the nearest park.

Make plastic bags a thing of the past.

Then and only you can look at the children and grandchildren and say – I did my bit to make the world a better place for you to live in.

It is the responsibilty of all citizens of this beloved nation to start acting now. We have to start thinking of the future rather than just waiting for tomorrow. Everyone knows what happens when things are left for ‘tomorrow’. Somebody needs to start and that will only happen if we are responsible. I am extremely impressed at the leadership shown by Fiji in its commitment to multilateralism" Antonio Guterres UN Secretary General