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New Zealand PM John Key is 'comfortable' with every form of injustice.
Climate
change tension at Pacific Islands Forum
While
leaders have talked of solidarity, cracks have appeared at the
Pacific Islands Forum over the subject of climate change.
10
September, 2015
Representatives
from the 16 forum member countries have gathered in Port Moresby to
address issues concerning the region, but there are a number of
conflicting positions, particularly when it comes to Australia and
New Zealand and climate change.
Small
island states have called
for a global moratorium on new coal mines,
which may struggle to get the backing of the wider forum, and enough
of a reduction in emissions so that global temperature increases do
not exceed 1.5°C over pre-industrial levels.
More
developed countries like Australia and New Zealand have targeted 2°C
in the past.
Calls
for the region's metropolitan powers to adopt more significant
measures to tackle climate change have taken on added urgency in a
year where the islands have experienced climate chaos on a number of front.
The
devastation of Vanuatu by Cyclone Pam in March was the most pointed
example of the risks associated withincreased
cyclone severity in the region.
Flooding
caused by huge spring tides in parts of Micronesia in late summer was
blamed by local officials on climate change - as were unseasonal
storms still affecting parts of the region.
And
now, several countries in the Pacific are struggling with the worst
drought in decades as this year's El Niño weather pattern takes full
grip.
In
Papua New Guinea's Highlands alone, dozens of deaths in recent weeks
have been linked
to food shortages caused by the prolonged drought and severe frosts.
And,
just to underline the climate disorder in the Pacific, freak
hailstorms killed 11 people in Indonesia's tropical Papua province in
July.
Kiribati
President Anote Tong (centre) listens to a speaker during the smaller
island state leaders' meeting as part of the Pacific Islands Forum in
Port Moresby.
Photo: AFP
New
Zealand Prime Minister John Key said he was comfortable
with his country's stance and position on climate change.
Kiribati
President Anote Tong said the Pacific Islands Forum could split over
the climate change issue. He said there needed to be a uniform
position to take to the global UN climate change COP21 meeting in
Paris later this year.
His
counterpart from Palau, Tommy Remengesau, echoed his sentiments,
saying the time for talk had ended and that urgent action was needed
- which would require greater unity.
"This
is the challenge facing regionalism - what can we do that brings out
the most good for everybody, especially when it comes to matters of
life and death and survival, sustainability?
"Those
issues are the very reason why there is a Pacific Islands Forum. If
you don't believe in those then there really should be no solid
effort here."
Solomon
Islands Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare (left) talks to his New
Zealand counterpart John Key at the 2015 Pacific Islands Forum in
Port Moresby.
Photo: RNZI
/ Koro Vaka'uta
Samoa
Prime Minister Tuilaepa Sailele Malielegaoi conceded there was
frustration among Pacific nations.
"All
the Pacific islands are always frustrated because you are not talking
about small changes," he said.
"You
are talking about survivability - because, if climate change is not
stopped, and the obvious occurs, like a rise in sea level, a lot of
the countries in the Pacific would just disappear."
Island
leaders press their call for a more significant response to climate
change by developed countries. Photo: RNZI
/ Koro Vaka'uta
Niue
Premier Toke Talagi said, while there were differences in the various
countries' positions, they were understandable.
"Every
country has the right to express their view about climate change. We
must accept and respect the fact that each country will have their
own differing circumstances in relation to economies and so on,"
he said.
"This
is the same as Niue so therefore I don't have any problem with New
Zealand and Australia being different."
Samoa's
Tuilaepa said, despite differences, he did not expect animosity to
develop between the various nations.
"We
talk like brothers and that's why we call our exchange retreat
because you can swear at each other and no one knows."
He
said he still hoped a consensus on climate change could be reached at
this year's forum
John
Key is attending the Pacific Islands Forum meeting in Papua New
Guinea, where Australia and New Zealand have come under fire from
Pacific nations for not doing enough to address the issue.
But
Mr Key says his country is doing relatively well, and the Pacific
should instead focus on other countries.
"We
are 0.15 percent of world emissions. Our main point would be [that]
China, India, the United States, some of these very big emitters have
to play their part.
That's the message we'll be taking to Paris and a
lot of these countries have a relationship with China, so one of the
points we'll be making is, you know, you know them well, you take aid
from them, and it's a good chance to talk to them about their climate
change position as well."
A
major United Nations summit on climate change will be held in Paris
in December.
Drought
closing schools and hospital in PNG's Chimbu
The
governor of Chimbu Province in Papua New Guinea says the effects of
El Niño there are so severe schools are closing, public servants
aren't working and the hospital is shutting its doors.
10
September, 2015
Noah
Kool says 300,000 people in the province have been affected by frosts
and drought, which has caused water supplies to dry up and food
gardens to be destroyed.
Mr
Kool says the lack of water in Chimbu's main town, Kundiawa, is an
emergency situation.
"For
our town water, [I'm] looking around for money to pump in water from
another source to the town, and keep our hospital open, so we can
address the diseases that come to our hospital. And help our public
servants to have water so they can be ready to face, go out and
address the El Niño issues as well."
Noah
Kool says the province needs more aid from the national government.
Mr
Kool says reports of deaths related to the extreme weather event,
which is expected to last into next year, have not been confirmed.
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