Pacific Islands urge US to join Paris Agreement, deems climate change "the greatest threat" to the region

Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific Island countries are calling on the United States to return to the historic Paris climate change agreement after Donald Trump's official withdrawal last year. They also signed an agreement saying climate change is "the biggest threat" for the region.

All this happened at the 49th Pacific Islands Forum – a gathering of leaders from large islands like Australia and New Zealand, as well as smaller islands like Samoa, Vanuatu, Tonga, New Caledonia and the Marshall Islands. Nauru Thursday.

Named Boe Declaration and signed by national representatives, including New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, Samoan Prime Minister Tuilaepa Sailele Malielegaoi and Australian Foreign Minister Marise Payne, climate change is seen as a "regional challenge" and transnational crime.

"Recognizing that climate change represents the greatest threat to the livelihoods, security and well-being of the Pacific people, the leaders reaffirmed the importance of urgent and immediate action to combat climate change. climate change ", reads the statement of the forum.

"Leaders called on countries, especially large emitters, to fully implement their mitigation targets at the national level, including through the development and transfer of renewable energy, in line with deadlines."

The event was not without controversy. This coincides with a damning report released Monday by the Refugee Council of Australia, in which it is stated that the children of asylum seekers in Nauru have been traumatized by systemic abuse. A New Zealand journalist was also arrested and detained for attempting to interview a refugee on the island.

So they signed on the dotted line. Is it all talk?

An agreement is a step in the right direction, it is certain. But while it is one thing to recognize the threat that climate change poses to regional security, it is actually another solution.

New Zealand has really taken the plunge, with Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern taking important steps to combat this problem. In April, she announced that the country would stop any new offshore exploration so that the oil and gas industry can cope with climate change.

New Zealand and Japan have announced that they will cooperate to "ensure the success" of the Pacific Climate Change Center in Samoa.

However, Australia's attitude towards the fight against climate change has not been observed recently. Last October, former Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull abandoned the country's clean energy goal for a so-called "plan" that cuts off renewable energy subsidies and transfers the mic to coal. Awesome.

The new plan, dubbed the National Energy Guarantee, is putting pressure on energy companies to provide enough energy for Australians, while demanding that these companies reduce their emissions from here. 2020 to 2030.

Some have seriously doubted that the country will be able to meet the requirements of the Paris Agreement under this new system. The agreement obliges countries to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions in order to limit global warming to less than 2 degrees Celsius, or 3.6 degrees Fahrenheit, above the pre-industrial average.

We'll see what happens. The ABC reports that Pacific leaders will work together in anticipation of the United Nations Climate Change Conference to be held in December in Katowice, Poland.

Washington has officially announced its withdrawal from the historic climate deal last August.

The Boe Declaration, named after Nauru District, expanded the concept of security to include human security, environmental and resource security, transnational crime and cyber security.