The Guardian reported this week that as Fiji moved to introduce one of the world’s most ambitious legislative programs to tackle the climate crisis, the Attorney General and Minister for Economy and Climate Change has labelled the global community’s decision to set aside the call for global heating to be capped at 1.5C “grossly irresponsible and selfish” and went on to call global heating “a fight for our lives and our livelihoods”. Ahead of Pacific Islands Forum (PIF) in Tuvalu from 13-16 August, Pacific Island leaders collectively are increasingly vocal about Australia's apparent disregard for the impacts of climate action on their small nations, concerned that climate impacts are being sidelined by economic and strategy muscle agendas in a wider power struggle.
Fiji has cited Australia's 'lack of ambition and commitment' on climate change - a reference consistent with the letter handed to global leaders by The Investor Agenda ahead of G20 in Tokyo. The group's spokesman in Australia, Stephen Dunne, representing $50 trillion in funds under management said:"I HOPE THAT GOVERNMENTS ARE LISTENING. THIS IS A CALL FOR ACTION THAT IS BACKED BY A SIGNIFICANT AMOUNT OF FUNDING. INVESTORS ARE KEEN TO INVEST IN OPPORTUNITIES THAT SEE US SHIFT TO A LOW CARBON ECONOMY. WE NEED GOVERNMENTS TO STEP UP THEIR AMBITIONS AT A GREATER RATE."The PIF refers to itself as the Blue Pacific and is a 16 member forum made up of small Pacific Island nations as well as New Zealand, Australia and Papua. Let's hope that Australia steps up it's ambition at a greater rate next week before the sun sets on our Pacific Island neighbours forever.