Source: AFP
Polluting nations were called out for climate-related damage as a key Pacific island summit opened on Monday, with Tuvalu declaring: “If you pollute, you must pay.”
The Pacific Islands Forum kicked off in Tonga’s capital Nuku’alofa, with leaders hoping to draw global attention to the region’s worsening climate situation.
“We really need to make sure that we continue to push for action from the countries that are the most polluting,” Tuvalu’s Climate Minister Maina Talia told AFP on the sidelines of the summit.
“The polluter pays must be on the table.”
Pacific leaders will launch a new push later this week for a domestic climate adaptation fund, an idea that depends heavily on financial contributions from foreign nations.
They will also push to accelerate the transition away from oil, natural gas and other highly polluting fuel sources.
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“We cannot address climate change without addressing the root cause, which is the fossil fuel industry,” Talia said.
Source: AFP
“It’s disaster after disaster and we’re losing the ability to rebuild, to withstand another cyclone or another flood.”
This is uncomfortable ground for forum member Australia, a coal-mining superpower that is belatedly trying to expose its green credentials.
Australia wants to co-host the COP31 climate conference with its Pacific neighbors in 2026.
But first, he must convince the bloc that it is serious about cutting emissions.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres is making a rare appearance at the summit, on a trip designed to highlight the Pacific’s myriad climate threats.
“The decisions taken by world leaders in the coming years will determine the fate, first of the Pacific Islands, and then of all others,” Guterres said.
“If we save the Pacific, we will save the world.”
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Safety separation
Foreign officials were briefly sent to cover when a magnitude 6.9 earthquake struck off the coast of Tonga early Monday. However, no major damage or injuries were reported and no tsunami warning was issued.
The summit had started earlier with melodious Tongan choir singers and dancing students in traditional dress.
Source: AFP
Beneath the bonbon, however, rare cracks have formed in the 18-member bloc, with Pacific nations divided over China’s security ambitions in the region.
“We are gathering at a pivotal moment in our region’s history,” said forum secretary Baron Waqa, a former president of Nauru.
“We are at the center of global geopolitical interest.”
China’s interest, in particular, was evident long before Waqa’s opening speech.
Large “China Aid” signs were placed outside the newly built conference venue, a $25 million gift from Beijing.
The United States, meanwhile, sent senior diplomat Kurt Campbell to lead its delegation to the forum.
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Campbell has been one of the key figures behind a US-led push to keep China’s ambitions in the Pacific in check.
“We must remain vigilant on regional security issues,” warned Waqa, who has taken a dim view of the escalating Beijing-Washington rivalry in the past.
New Caledonia crisis
The other pressing security challenge facing Pacific leaders is the unresolved crisis in the French territory of New Caledonia, which reared its head on inauguration day.
“We need to reach a consensus on our vision for a region of peace and security,” said Tongan Prime Minister Siaosi Sovaleni.
“We must honor our ancestors’ vision of self-determination, including New Caledonia.”
Much of New Caledonia’s Kanak population fears recent electoral reforms proposed by Paris could crush their dreams of independence.
It’s a cause that has wide appeal in the Pacific bloc, which is full of former colonies now very proud of their hard-won sovereignty.
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The trivial issue of deep-sea mining is not on any official agenda, but will likely be a hotly debated topic behind closed doors.
Forum host Tonga is at the forefront of nations looking to open up the emerging industry, along with fellow forum members Nauru and the Cook Islands.
But others, such as Samoa, Palau and Fiji, see it as an environmental disaster in progress, giving their full support to an international moratorium.
Source: AFP
