UN General Assembly
2008

reductions resulting from deforestation in developing countries, through the valuation of forest ecosystem services. Faced by the ravages of climate change on a small island developing State, our Prime Minister, Sir Michael Somare, has charted out his own bold goals: reducing Papua New Guinea’s emissions by 50 per cent before 2025 and achieving carbon neutrality before 2050. Sharing a similar vision, the partnership of leadership between Papua New Guinea and Norway may significantly address several of the greatest A/63/PV.13 5 08-53122 challenges of our time: effectively valuing global environmental services, contributing to the mitigation of climate change, conserving global biodiversity and financing the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals in rural areas. Finally, our global economy values companies in the billions simply for advertising trinkets on the Internet. Some countries make billions by selling fossil fuels that pollute our atmosphere, others by producing low-cost consumer products that humanity does not require. In fact, Google is worth $150 billion, while the world’s last great tropical forests left standing are worth nothing. How can that be right?