Australian Minister for Climate Change and Water Penny Wong said Thursday climate change is a critical development challenge for the whole world which has to be dealt with a global coherent policy.

She told Xinhua Australia contributes more each year to climate change issue and has put forward a coherent policy limiting carbon pollution.

Wong is attending the 40th Pacific Islands Forum (PIF), which opened in the northeast Australia's shore city of Cairns on Wednesday and attracted 15 heads of governments and more than 45 delegates.

Wong said that as the current rotating chair of the Pacific Islands Forum, the achievements Australia would most like to see during its tenure will still be on the climate change perspective.

Wong said Tuesday's leaders'meeting was useful in term of discussions about different perspectives that remind us that all the nations in the room have diverse perspectives and problems on the issue.

"But all the nations in the room share very strong view that climate change is an urgent and pressing issue that demands response immediately."

And that's why Australia is pressing forward to legislate and has to go to Copenhagen in December this year, she said, adding that climate change is really one of the big issues that needs government attention and Australia is pressing for an ambitious outcome.

However, Wong said, being a global problem, climate change must be dealt with joint efforts globally.

Australia is to invest more on renewable energies and has to work extra efforts both on technology and policy-making, Wong said.

Ajay Chibber, UN assistant secretary-general, said on Thursday that climate change has the implications for the entire range of development concerns: poverty, livelihoods, food security, conflict and social cohesion.

At a time of global economic crisis, climate change has the potential to reverse hard-won development gains in the region, which could compromise the collective ability to achieve the Millennium Development Goals and plans for a prosperous, peaceful and secure region, said Chibber.

Chibber, who is also assistant administrator of the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) and UNDP director of the Asia and the Pacific Regional Bureau, is the chair of a high-level climate change side event at the 40th Pacific Islands Forum Leaders' meeting.

Participating leaders of the island nations believe Pacific is one of the most disaster-affected regions in the world. The region is permanently threatened by a variety of natural hazards, many of which are likely to worsen as the planet's temperature warms.

(Xinhua News Agency August 6, 2009)